Commonwealth v. C.J.

Officers from the Philadelphia Police Narcotics Field Unit conducted an in-depth investigation during the months of July and August of 2023 into narcotics sales in the 200 block of Girard Avenue. During those months, they utilized confidential informants, undercover officers and pre-recorded by money to establish sales being made at a particular property. With that information, police secured a search warrant for an apartment on that block. Prior to executing the warrant, police claimed to have seen C.J. enter the property with a tan color book bag. Undercover officers then entered the property and alleged that they purchased narcotics from C.J. and another male in the property. Upon executing the warrant, police claim C.J. jumped out of a first floor window into the arms of another officer. % additional males were in the property, all of whom were arrested. Police then recovered $160,000 worth of marijuana at five different “packaging stations” in the property, pre-recorded buy money ( some of which was allegedly in the bag police observed C.J. in possession of), new and unused packaging, a money counter, scales, “tally work”, three firearms including an AR assault rifle and over $10,000 in cash. At trial, defense was able to show that police miscatalogued the pre-recorded by money and during cross-examination the investigating police officer MISIDENTIFIED C.J. with another one of the co-defendants. C.J. was found not guilty of all charges.