Law enforcement agencies in New Jersey are always on the lookout for potential violations of the law that might lead to drug charges. Many times, they assume that anyone who spends time in or near areas where they suspect that there is drug activity is also involved in the illegal drug trade, or at the very least is likely to be in possession of illegal drugs.

While it is true that there are some individuals in Atlantic City who both buy and sell drugs, simply associating or living near someone who engages in this activity does not automatically make someone a possessor or trafficker of of heroin, cocaine, or any other illegal substance.

It is possible that the law enforcement officials in New Jersey could point to cases where they were investigating one person for suspected a drug or weapons violation and ended up arresting additional associates of the primary suspect on similar charges. The story linked below is an example of this, but simply because there are instances when this is the case, does not provide sufficient evidence to infer that each and every person in the physical or social proximity of a suspect is also involved.

When, as is often the case, police investigators have imperfect or incomplete information about the suspected illegal activity that they are investigating they may compensate for this lack of knowledge by casting a very wide net. That is, that when the police do not know whether or not someone is involved they may take action, such as a search or seizure, based solely on the existence of that person's relationship with another suspect, even when the nature of that relationship is not clear.

Source: Brick Patch, "Brick Police Seize Heroin, Catch Fugitive," Daniel Nee, Feb. 8, 2012