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Roommate deals?

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colincts13

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Virginia

My roommate sells weed out of our apartment on a regular. If he gets caught selling out of the house and the police decide to serve him a warrant and search the whole apartment (keep in mind my room is 100% clean of anything) will I face any legal prosecutions? Even if I am in the apartment at the time? I will claim 100% ignorance to his actions of course but am still worried that this won't be enough? Also I am lending no hand in this trade and don't share any property with him minus the apartment. Everything he makes or buys with his earnings are kept in his room. The only thing i'm doing is being passive and turning a blind eye.

Sorry if this is a duplicate post. I searched every forum and search engine I could find but no posts answered my question.
 


Antigone*

Senior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Virginia

My roommate sells weed out of our apartment on a regular. If he gets caught selling out of the house and the police decide to serve him a warrant and search the whole apartment (keep in mind my room is 100% clean of anything) will I face any legal prosecutions? Even if I am in the apartment at the time? I will claim 100% ignorance to his actions of course but am still worried that this won't be enough? Also I am lending no hand in this trade and don't share any property with him minus the apartment. Everything he makes or buys with his earnings are kept in his room. The only thing i'm doing is being passive and turning a blind eye.

Sorry if this is a duplicate post. I searched every forum and search engine I could find but no posts answered my question.

You can't claim ignorance ~ you know it is happening. Sure you share in the fruits of his labor, you live in the apartment.
 

colincts13

Junior Member
Yea i suppose so. Might as well keep my story straight if Im already in handcuffs though ha. This still hasn't really answered my original question though.
 

Banned_Princess

Senior Member
If your room is 10%% clean, you werent found hanging out in the living room, and you claim you dont know anything about it, they might arrest you at the time, but they will have a hard time making anything stick.
 

CdwJava

Senior Member
If the roomie's baggies, scale, dope, and aromatic smoke are in the apartment, a claim of ignorance will fail.

If they make a controlled buy to him and you were present, you'll be in trouble.

Unless his deals are in private, away from the apartment, and you honestly never see or hear any of it, you can be in trouble.

Essentially, you have to make a decision here ... you can either find a new roomie, or, you can accept the potential criminal liability associated with his drug dealing.
 

colincts13

Junior Member
Thanks for the responses. He keeps everything in his room but does smoke in here as well. So it does occasionally stink but nothing sticks in my room. Yea I do have a choice to make. He's along term friend so I don't want to abandon anyone on the lease or cause any problems. This sounds dumb but although his behavior puts me at risk im not going to be an @$$. I'm going to tell him to stop and hope hes respects me enough to listen. If not I guess ill figure something else out like leave the apartment whenever I know someone is coming over. Any idea what happens if they run in at 5AM since obviously i wont be able to leave ahead of time (if i manage to not be around for controlled buys)?
 

CdwJava

Senior Member
Ya know, I have never had ANY friend that I would risk going to jail for like you are. I hope he knows just how good a pal you are.

And, of course, just how good a friend is he for putting YOU at risk? Obviously you are a better friend to him than he is to you.

If the cops burst in at 5 AM then you comply and pray that they have no reason to charge you with a crime.
 
If they bust that house with a sales bust (yes its lame and unlikely but it does happen in a small small %) they will likely arrest you and let the DA sort it out. I would not surprised to see a DA in that position charge you and let you grovel to a plea to a lower charge just to get out of jail. Lotsa people will plea to just about anything once the waist chains are on and they start hearing the word "felony" and "3-5". DA's know this.
 
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Virginia

My roommate sells weed out of our apartment on a regular. If he gets caught selling out of the house and the police decide to serve him a warrant and search the whole apartment (keep in mind my room is 100% clean of anything) will I face any legal prosecutions? Even if I am in the apartment at the time? I will claim 100% ignorance to his actions of course but am still worried that this won't be enough? Also I am lending no hand in this trade and don't share any property with him minus the apartment. Everything he makes or buys with his earnings are kept in his room. The only thing i'm doing is being passive and turning a blind eye.

Sorry if this is a duplicate post. I searched every forum and search engine I could find but no posts answered my question.
If he gets busted you keep silent, dont deny anything (or you'll be charged with lying or obstruction), dont say anything, say "I want an attny". You are an idiot of course for living with such an unsavory individual.
 
If your room is 10%% clean, you werent found hanging out in the living room, and you claim you dont know anything about it, they might arrest you at the time, but they will have a hard time making anything stick.
except for lying & obstruction when they ask his roommate if he knew anything about it, right?
 
Ya know, I have never had ANY friend that I would risk going to jail for like you are. I hope he knows just how good a pal you are.

And, of course, just how good a friend is he for putting YOU at risk? Obviously you are a better friend to him than he is to you.

If the cops burst in at 5 AM then you comply and pray that they have no reason to charge you with a crime.
Is being stupid a crime? It should be in this case. They guy should call the police-drug dealers are the lowest form of life.
 
Is being stupid a crime? It should be in this case. They guy should call the police-drug dealers are the lowest form of life.
wow, call the police on a friend cuz he sells weeed????

Personally, I wouldnt want to live with him.. but call the cops???

Man, you really drank up the kool-aid.
 

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