(San Francisco) DA on verge of mass drug-case dismissals

[alp227]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

(03-26) 13:04 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco prosecutors told judges today that they could not "ethically go forward" with 46 narcotics trials because of evidence problems arising out of the scandal at the Police Department's drug lab - signaling that the district attorney is likely to dismiss nearly all 750 pending drug cases in the city.

"Based on what the district attorney's office knows about the issues within the narcotics division of the crime lab, we cannot ethically go forward with this prosecution," Assistant District Attorney Nancy Tung told a judge overseeing a case that was serving as a test of how much police and prosecutors had to disclose to defense attorneys about problems at the drug lab.

Prosecutors dropped that test case, a cocaine-sales trial, after having been deluged with 1,500 pages of police investigative documents about the lab. Prosecutors are required to give up any evidence that could clear a defendant, and the judge in Mario Bell's cocaine-dealing case said Thursday that much of the police investigation could be relevant in Bell's trial.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/26/BAA31CLQU6.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

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One technician, Deborah Madden, is accused of stealing narc evidence. When the police perform a complete moral turnaround once suspected dealer goes to jail, credibility erodes from the War on Drugs.

[old mark]

1. This is just a drop in the bucket - I am SURE there are so many

similar cases across the US that never will be challenged - there is NO ONE looking into this, and there are probably thousands of wrongly convicted people in prison because of deliberately falsified evidence. We need a nationwide incvestigation and program to right these wrongs - any rich people want to start an endowment? This is a great cause.....

mark

[ixion]

2. the so-called 'war' on drugs has never had credibility. Never.

It's always been a thinly-veiled excuse for civil liberties erosion, and the implementation of the corporatist police state.

[RKP5637]

3. Exactly true and well said! n/t

[mike_c]

6. +1

Yep.

[justinaforjustice]

8. Immense Profits in the Anti-Drug War.

That's a major reason the so-called "War" continues. Sales of armaments to police and foreign governments, construction of more and more prisons, etc. Just another way to loot the American tax-payer and corrupt the internal politics of many other countries. Colombia for one. they make huge money from American grants to fight drugs while they work with the drug traffickers to increase their profits. All that money comes in very handy to buy local and national politicians so they can stay in power and fleece their own citizens. The U.S. drug policies have done almost as much damage around the world as the bombs and invasions.

[hvn_nbr_2]

4. If the drug war system had any integrity...

... you could replace "San Francisco" with "USA". The details of the corruption would vary but the overall effect would be the same.

[bluestateguy]

5. Let the jail doors swing open

Drug cases are a fucking waste of time and money in these times.

[pattmarty]

7. WE LOST!!!!!! End the "war" now.