LAWRENCE DURR, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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The court held that an ordinary plastic sandwich bag containing a substance does not constitute a "counterfeit controlled substance" under the statute because the bag itself does not falsely identify the contents.
Lawrence Durr was found with a plastic bag containing what appeared to be cocaine, but was not. He was charged under a statute prohibiting possession …
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PER CURIAM.
Lawrence Durr has appealed an order of the trial court denying his motion to dismiss a charge of possessing with intent to sell or deliver a counterfeit controlled substance, contrary to section 831.31(l)(a), Florida Statutes (1989). We reverse, with instructions to enter an order granting Durr’s motion to dismiss.
Following an anonymous tip, a police officer approached Durr and received permission to search him. The officer found a clear Ziploc sandwich bag containing 12 rocks of what appeared to be cocaine, but was not. Durr was charged under section 831.31, which makes it unlawful to possess with intent to sell or deliver a “counterfeit controlled substance.” The latter term is defined in section 831.31(2)(b) as “[a]ny substance which is falsely identified by its container ... as a substance named or described in s. 893.03” (emphasis supplied). Durr moved to dismiss the charge, alleging that an ordinary plastic sandwich bag did not “falsely identify” its contents as cocaine. The trial court denied the motion, and Durr entered a plea of nolo contendere, reserving the right to appeal that ruling.
In Adderly v. State, 571 So. 2d 557 (Fla. 1st DCA 1990), the appellant was arrested with a clear plastic bag, “nondescript, unmarked and unlabeled,” containing 8 rocks of fake cocaine. He moved to dismiss the subsequent charge under 831.31, and the trial court denied the motion. This court reversed, citing Twinn v. State, 442 So. 2d 286 (Fla. 3d DCA 1983), which held that placing a white powder in a plastic bag is not sufficient to qualify as an act of mislabeling. We find that the facts of this case are controlled by Adderly, and as we did in that case, reverse the order appealed with instructions to enter an order granting Durr’s motion to dismiss.
JOANOS, C.J., and BARFIELD and ZEHMER, JJ., concur.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
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Ishmael D. Damen v. State, 793 So. 2d 106 (Fla. 2d DCA 2001)…falsely identify the substance. The mere packaging of eight pieces of fake rock cocaine in a clear plastic bag, without more, has been held not to violate the statute. Adderly v. State, 571 So. 2d 557 (Fla. 1st DCA 1990). The case of Durr v. State, 583 So. 2d 424 (Fla. 1st DCA 1991), which involved possession of a sandwich bag containing twelve pieces of fake rock cocaine, reached a similar result. In each instance, the First District held that packaging the items to look like crack cocaine did not constitut…
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J.L.F. v. State, 887 So. 2d 432 (Fla. 5th DCA 2004)…lf, or falsely identify the substance to another. See Damen v. State, 793 So. 2d 106, 109 (Fla. 2d DCA 2001) (“[P]ackaging the items to look like crack cocaine did not constitute the necessary false identification of the substance.”); Durr v. State, 583 So. 2d 424 (Fla. 1st DCA 1991) (holding that the defendant’s possession of a clear plastic bag containing twelve rocks of what appeared to be cocaine, but was not, did not support a conviction for possession of a counterfeit substance with intent to distribute…
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Graham v. State (Fla. 4th DCA 2022)…lf, or falsely identify the substance to another. See Damen v. State, 793 So. 2d 106, 109 (Fla. 2d DCA 2001) (“[P]ackaging the items to look like crack cocaine did not constitute the necessary false identification of the substance.”); Durr v. State, 583 So. 2d 424 (Fla. 1st DCA 1991) (holding that the defendant’s possession of a clear plastic bag containing twelve rocks of what appeared to be cocaine, but was not, did not support a conviction for possession of a counterfeit substance with intent to distribute…
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- Adderly v. State, 571 So. 2d 557 (Fla. 1st DCA 1990)
- Twinn v. State, 442 So. 2d 286 (Fla. 3d DCA 1983)