Beatriz Flores, 31, was pulled over by sheriff's deputies on the night of Monday April 18, 2011 on GoldenValley Road and Robert C. Lee Parkway in Canyon Country due to a traffic violation.
Her 14-year-old and 11-year-old sons were in the vehicle. When officials searched her pickup truck, they found that her older son had six bags of heroin concealed in the groin area of his pants.
Authorities said Flores confessed to deputies that she told her son to hide the drugs, and hoping to gain their sympathy, she told them she needed to do it to pay rent.
She said that she's a single mother with four children and that she didn't have rent this month, and so she had asked someone to help her with the rent. They gave her this way to make money, to pick something up, a little package, and to transport it somewhere.
But deputies found evidence that she had not only been transporting drugs, but selling them too. They found $1,500 in cash in the vehicle. And during her booking at the sheriff's station, methamphetamine was found hidden in Flores' clothing.
Methamphetamine is common in the Santa Clarita Valley, but authorities say heroin use is becoming more prevalent, particularly among white youth.
If you are convicted of possessing or purchasing heroin for sale, you face a felony, punishable by two, three or four years in the state prison and the same maximum $20,000 fine.
However, you face an additional three to twenty-five years in prison, and fines that could total $8,000,000 if the weight of the heroin that you possess or purchase exceeds one kilogram.
Also, unless the judge/jury determines that you possessed or purchased heroin, but possessed or purchased it for personal use and not for sale, or your California drug crimes defense attorney negotiates a plea bargain for a personal possession charge, a less serious charge than a "possession of heroin for sales" charge, you will not be permitted to participate in drug diversion in connection with this offense.
If you or someone you know has been charged with possession and/or intent to sell illegal drugs, we at Hedding Law Firm want to be your advocate.
We have handled thousands of cases like this and have seen great results. Our client's best interest is our top priority and we place every effort to get the best results possible.
Contact us at
Hedding Law Firm for a FREE face to face consultation.