The police found marijuana in my car but it didnt belong to me. Can I still be convicted?
A. Possibly. The fact that drugs are found in your car by itself is not sufficient to convict you of possession. However, if you admitted to the officer that you knew the marijuana was in the car, even if you told him that it belonged to someone else, then this statement will be admissible against you and is sufficient to convict you. This is so because the law of possession of contraband is not the same as ownership. If the police find one joint in a car with four passengers each of whom admit to knowing that the joint was there then all four passengers can be convicted of possession regardless of who actually bought and paid for the joint. If the police find contraband in the car you have been driving or riding in as a passenger, you should not make any statements to the police regarding the contraband. Dont even say that it belonged to someone else. The bare knowledge of the presence of marijuana which is in close proximity to you is often enough evidence to convict.
