Two parents in Philadelphia have been arrested for stuffing their boys' backpacks with marijuana. Image: Flickr / jauhari / CC-BY-ND
Police have arrested two parents in incidents involving marijuana. Police say two kids were used as drug mules in Philly. Three additional people have been arrested in conjunction with this incident.
2 kids used as drug mules in Philly
Early Tuesday morning, police made a routine traffic stop in Philadelphia. Rodney Saunders was found to have a “very significant” amount of marijuana in his vehicle and was arrested. When Saunders’ wife, Senya, was informed of the arrest, she decided that the two kids in the house should be used to “hide” the marijuana in the home. She packed the school backpacks of the 10-year-old and 9-year-old with seven total pounds of marijuana and sent them out of the house. Police intercepted the kids, the mother and three others in the home.
9- and 10-year-old drug mules
A “drug mule” is usually an individual who transports drugs for another person. The term “drug mule” is most often applied to people who transport hard drugs, such as heroin, across state or international borders. These 9- and 10-year-old drug mules in Philly reportedly had no idea what was in their backpacks, only that their mother gave them the backpacks and told them to go out of the house. Generally, possessing more than 1 ounce of marijuana is a felony crime. Pennsylvania does not have a medical marijuana law, but no medical marijuana law would justify the parents that used two kids as drug mules.
Parents held on bail
In the initial hearing for the parents arrested for marijuana crimes, the judge set $150,000 bail. Should the parents be convicted of possession with intent to distribute, one of the multiple crimes they are charged with, they could face several years in jail. The children have already been taken into custody by Child Protective Services. However, their parents could qualify to get their children back if the courts determine the children are no longer at risk in the home.
Sources
My Fox Philly
Philly.com
