Kodak Black Avoids Prison After Positive Drug Test

Bill Kapri, a recording artist who performs under the stage name Kodak Black, has been a fixture of South Florida’s hip hop scene since he was in his teens.  He has also had his share of legal troubles, only some of which have to do with drugs.  In the summer of 2022, Kapri was arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking, when police found approximately 10 oxycodone tablets in his possession and alleged that Kapri did not have a valid prescription for these pills that would enable him to possess them legally.  The case is still pending, but while it is in progress, a judge authorized Kapri’s release.  One of the terms of Kapri’s release is that he must undergo scheduled drug tests approximately once per week.  If you have questions about court-ordered drug testing as a condition of probation or parole or as a condition of release for defendants awaiting trial in pending cases, contact a West Palm Beach drug offenses lawyer.

Is It a Case of a False Positive Drug Test?

After being released this past summer, Kapri, 25, complied with the conditions of his release for several months without incident.  The trouble began on February 3, 2023, when he failed to submit a sample for drug testing, even though the court had indicated that he must take a drug test on that day.  News sources did not indicate whether the terms of Kapri’s release required blood tests or urine tests.  Kapri submitted a sample on February 8, five days after the scheduled drug test date, and prosecutors allege that the sample he submitted tested positive for fentanyl.

The court issued a warrant for Kapri’s arrest, and he appeared in court in Broward County in late February.  His lawyer argued that the prosecution’s evidence does not clearly indicate that Kapri took fentanyl while his drug trafficking case was pending.  The lawyer alleged that the forensics lab could have mixed up the samples or the paperwork associated with them, and therefore it is possible that the positive drug test was not truly attributable to Kapri.

Forensics lab errors are notoriously common, especially when it comes to drug tests.  Defendants have successfully challenged evidence from criminology labs that purported to show illegal drugs in substances confiscated from the defendants’ property or drug metabolites in the defendants’ bodily fluids.  If you think that the drug test results are incorrect, you should ask your criminal defense lawyer to challenge them.

As for Kapri, the court ordered him to undergo 30 days of inpatient treatment for substance use disorder.  He must report to the rehab clinic on March 7, which gives him time to perform at a music festival in Los Angeles before beginning treatment.

Contact a West Palm Beach Internet Crimes Lawyer Today

Attorney William Wallshein has more than 39 years of experience, including five years as a prosecutor in Palm Beach County.  Contact William Wallshein P.A. in West Palm Beach, Florida to discuss your case.

Sources:

abcnews.go.com/US/florida-judge-issues-arrest-warrant-kodak-black-after/story?id=97486462

nbcnews.com/news/us-news/rapper-kodak-black-ordered-attend-drug-rehab-allegedly-testing-positiv-rcna72481