Innocent man spends months in jail for possession of honey

[Stevicus]

Innocent Bowie man spent months in jail for bringing honey back to U.S. through BWI

Leon Haughton likes honey in his tea. Which is why during his Christmas visit to relatives in Jamaica, he made his regular stop and bought three bottles from a favorite roadside stand before heading home to Maryland.

It was a routine purchase for him until he landed at the airport in Baltimore. Customs officers detained Haughton and police arrested him, accusing him of smuggling in not honey, but liquid meth.

You gotta wonder what kind of morons they have working in law enforcement these days. How can they look at a jar of honey and think that it's liquid meth?

Haughton spent nearly three months in jail before all charges were dropped and two rounds of law enforcement lab tests showed no controlled substances in the bottles.

By then, Haughton, who according to his lawyer had no criminal record, had lost both of his jobs as a cleaner and a construction worker.

“They messed up my life,” Haughton said. “I want the world to know that the system is not right. If I didn’t have strong people around me, they would probably leave me in jail. You’re lost in the system.”

Everyone involved in this case should be required to serve at least 82 days in prison as compensation for what they did to this guy.

“Someone dropped the ball somewhere,” Haughton’s lawyer Terry Morris said. “An innocent man spent 82 days in jail for bringing honey into the United States.”

Apparently, some drug-sniffing dog was involved, too.

Police in charging documents said a K-9 named Beny conducted a “random scan” and alerted to possible drugs.

“Inside the bag were three large plastic bottles labeled as ‘honey’ of suspected liquid methamphetamine,” charging documents said.

It is believed that he may have been stereotyped because of his race.

Haughton and Morris contend he was stereotyped because of his race. Authorities, Haughton’s lawyer said, questioned him about “a big Jamaican gang and drug dealing conspiracy.”

“‘I’m 100 percent sure I don’t have drugs,’” Haughton recalled insisting to agents. “‘I only have honey.’”

 

[80s fashion girl]

I hope he sues and wins.

 

[ChristineM]

Innocent Bowie man spent months in jail for bringing honey back to U.S. through BWI



You gotta wonder what kind of morons they have working in law enforcement these days. How can they look at a jar of honey and think that it's liquid meth?



Everyone involved in this case should be required to serve at least 82 days in prison as compensation for what they did to this guy.



Apparently, some drug-sniffing dog was involved, too.



It is believed that he may have been stereotyped because of his race.

I can see a major case of compensation setting in

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

I can see a major case of compensation setting in

Good luck. The system is geared so that the best he'll likely get in a non binding apology.

 

[ChristineM]

Good luck. The system is geared so that the best he'll likely get in a non binding apology.

The cost him his livelihood, least they could do was offer him a job.

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

The cost him his livelihood, least they could do was offer him a job.

If there was any justice, sure. I think it's nice you think justice is a motivating factor in the legal systems of any given country when it comes to holding police to account.

I hope I'm wrong and you are right.

 

[ChristineM]

If there was any justice, sure. I think it's nice you think justice is a motivating factor in the legal systems of any given country when it comes to holding police to account.

I hope I'm wrong and you are right.

I am thinking it all depends on the lawyer and how persuasive he is in court.

I would hope he is compensated but you are most probably right

 

[Stevicus]

I am thinking it all depends on the lawyer and how persuasive he is in court.

I would hope he is compensated but you are most probably right

I hope he is compensated, too, although I don't think the taxpayers should have to pay it. The compensation should come from the pockets of the individuals (and their retirement fund) of those who did this to him.

The customs agents, the police, the lawyers and judges involved should be required to pay personally - and once their net worth is exhausted, the remainder should come from their respective retirement funds.

Do this enough times, and the police and judges will definitely think twice before going hog wild like they did in this case.

 

[columbus]

If there was any justice, sure. I think it's nice you think justice is a motivating factor in the legal systems of any given country when it comes to holding police to account.

I hope I'm wrong and you are right.

The fact that there are lots of lawyers salivating at the thought of getting a big bite of his compensation means he probably will get a large settlement.
Tom

 

[Enoch07]

Innocent Bowie man spent months in jail for bringing honey back to U.S. through BWI



You gotta wonder what kind of morons they have working in law enforcement these days. How can they look at a jar of honey and think that it's liquid meth?



Everyone involved in this case should be required to serve at least 82 days in prison as compensation for what they did to this guy.



Apparently, some drug-sniffing dog was involved, too.



It is believed that he may have been stereotyped because of his race.

Hmm it appears him being a registered alien with a green card is what complicated things.

Being charged with felony drug possession triggered him to be detained longer because of his status.

Not a good time to be messing around with customs bringing in ambiguous liquids/chemicals. People are so stupid.

 

[columbus]

Hmm it appears him being a registered alien with a green card is what complicated things.

Being charged with felony drug possession triggered him to be detained longer because of his status.

Not a good time to be messing around with customs bringing in ambiguous liquids/chemicals. People are so stupid.

Nevertheless, holding him longer than it takes to analyze the liquid is even stupider.
Actionably stupid, in my opinion. It would have taken less than an hour to identify the honey, if the cops were doing their jobs. But they weren't, and now their employers are on the hook for a big chunk of change.
As a general rule, I support the cops. But this was not a split second decision that ended badly. This was the cops putting a guy through hell due to utterly incompetent police work. The evidence was there and they didn't get around to investigating it.
That degree of incompetence earned them a seven figure lawsuit.
Tom

 

[Dan From Smithville]

I had no idea that meth was stored or transported in liquid form. The guy should be compensated and receive a public apology.

 

[Brickjectivity]

You gotta wonder what kind of morons they have working in law enforcement these days. How can they look at a jar of honey and think that it's liquid meth?

This is happening a lot, increasingly. Someone posts a news article here saying that police labs are backed up, and so suspects have to wait in jail or pay bond while waiting for the tests which is why the suspects wait for so long without any evidence against themselves. War on drugs.

 

[sun rise]

It is believed that he may have been stereotyped because of his race.

What a non-surprise.

 

[Enoch07]

would have taken less than an hour to identify the honey, if the cops were doing their jobs.

Sure it only takes an hour to run the test.
But its gotta be shipped to a 3rd party lab which take 2-3 weeks, then the lab is 3 weeks behind schedule so add that to its then another 2-3 weeks to report the findings. You seriously underestimate the red tape and bureaucracy of the govt. This is the reason we don't want govt run healthcare. By the time they decide to help you with medicine or surgery you'll have been dead already for about 3 months.

 

[columbus]

Sure it only takes an hour to run the test.
But its gotta be shipped to a 3rd party lab which take 2-3 weeks, then the lab is 3 weeks behind schedule so add that to its then another 2-3 weeks to report the findings. You seriously underestimate the red tape and bureaucracy of the govt. This is the reason we don't want govt run healthcare. By the time they decide to help you with medicine or surgery you'll have been dead already for about 3 months.

This is total b.s..
Any competent police department could distinguish between honey and meth in a few minutes.

Like your opinion about UHC. Total b.s..

But that's not relevant the the thread. Don't tell me it took almost 3 months for a modestly competent police department to distinguish between honey and meth.

I shudder to think about the conditions in a jail run by such incompetent people. 82 days?
Tom

 

[Revoltingest]

I had no idea that meth was stored or transported in liquid form. The guy should be compensated and receive a public apology.

He might get a 10% discount on fees for his incarceration.
Once again, I see good reason to avoid cops, & to never
fly, particularly internationally.

 

[Enoch07]

Any competent police department could distinguish between honey and meth in a few minutes.

You give them far too much credit.

Don't tell me it took almost 3 months for a modestly competent police department to distinguish between honey and meth.

Red tape and bureaucracy. I requested some hard case steel bolts awhile back for repairs. I could easily go to the local hardware store and use $5 of my own money and fix the problem, would take all of 15 minutes. But I have to follow the rules. Well I put in the request 6 months ago, still no bolts to make the repair. The govt moves too slow to handle most issues.

I shudder to think about the conditions in a jail run by such incompetent people. 82 days?

Sucks and I agree it's wrong. All I am saying that this is the process. And all things considered, was a best case scenario. Don't like it? Lobby for less govt control over our lives.

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

Fascinating watching criminals apologise for police incompetence/mishandling.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

He might get a 10% discount on fees for his incarceration.
Once again, I see good reason to avoid cops, & to never
fly, particularly internationally.

Years ago, when I first moved into this metro area I live in, I happened to be up one evening and heard someone running around behind my apartment and trying the door on my storage room. I looked outside and saw what appeared to be a nude woman sitting in the grass in the dark. I flipped on the light and discovered that it was a young man with long purple hair and no shirt on. He waved his hands at me and yelled, "I'm trying to avoid the cops". I threw the sliding door all the way open and yelled back, "Get the F**k outta here". He did. I saw him a few days later, walking down the street. He apparently avoided the cops. We moved shortly after that and a few other incidents.

My particular means of avoiding the cops works better I think. But when I cannot avoid them, I do not do anything to escalate the encounter. It must be me, but other than one incident, the officers I have met were courteous and respectful. Sometimes even friendly in a fashion. I'm a good guy that they do not make nervous I guess. I think that gets them worried.

A friend who is also an entomologist was stopped in Atlanta carrying two coffee cups containing soil and live specimens of a tiger beetle species that he was studying. Security turned him back, but he was not arrested. The specimens were unregulated, but security did not know what to make of them, and erred on the side of "CYA".