Faulty Field Drug Tests May Lead to Wrongful Arrests

 Posted on March 12, 2026 in Criminal Defense

Allegations of drug crimes are taken very seriously by law enforcement. Police officers will often be looking for any opportunity to charge a person with drug possession. In many cases, the amount of drugs seized may lead to charges of possession with intent to distribute or even drug trafficking. However, due to problems with the tests used by police officers to identify drugs, there are some situations where people may be wrongfully arrested and charged with crimes that they did not commit.

People who are facing drug charges will need to make sure they are represented by an attorney who has experience in criminal defense and in cases involving controlled substances. With legal representation, a person can stand up against unfair practices by law enforcement officials and prosecutors, take steps to protect their rights, and work to resolve a case while avoiding a conviction or minimizing the penalties that may apply.

Problems With Field Drug Tests Used by Police Officers

When police detain someone during a traffic stop or another situation, they may perform searches and uncover substances that could be illegal drugs. However, identifying these substances can be difficult. Many police officers have kits on hand that can perform basic tests to identify substances such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, or fentanyl. Unfortunately, the results of these tests are not always accurate, and in some cases, their use has led to people being wrongfully arrested for drug crimes.

One notable example of this trend involves Bryan Getchius, who was pulled over by police in 2024 while driving through South Carolina. Mr. Getchius fit the profile of someone who was trafficking drugs because his vehicle had out-of-state license plates and his driver’s license had been suspended. He allowed the police officers to search his vehicle, because he was a recovering drug addict who had been sober for over a year. During their search, the officers found a bottle of medication that Getchius had been prescribed to treat irritable bowel syndrome. They tested these pills using field drug tests, which indicated that they contained fentanyl. As a result, Mr. Getchius was arrested and charged with drug trafficking.

Substances seized by police in drug crime cases are tested at state drug labs. Unfortunately, the labs in South Carolina had a large backlog at the time of Mr. Getchius’ arrest, with around 18,000 cases that needed to be processed. The time needed to wait for results was over a year. Getchius was able to secure a release while his case was pending, but he was held on house arrest during that time. The drug lab eventually returned results showing that the pills were the prescription medication he had claimed and did not contain any fentanyl. 

While the charges against Mr. Getchius were dropped, the harm he experienced as a result of this situation was serious. He was held in jail in harsh conditions for 15 days before being released, and bail was set at $25,000. While held on house arrest, he had to pay a weekly fee of $77 for electronic monitoring. He spent thousands of dollars in legal fees until his case was eventually dismissed. During this time, he struggled to receive the support he needed to maintain sobriety. These consequences all occurred because of a false positive on tests used during a traffic stop.

This is not an isolated incident. Law enforcement agencies across the United States use similar tests. One study estimated that every year, around 773,000 drug arrests are based on field drug tests, and as many as 30,000 of these cases may involve false positives. Cases have been documented in which people have been arrested and charged with drug crimes when field drug tests identified substances such as donut glaze, drywall dust, or cotton candy as illegal controlled substances.

Contact Our Connecticut Drug Crimes Defense Lawyers

The many situations in which drug arrests have been based on faulty testing kits highlight the importance of legal representation in drug crime cases. A skilled lawyer can stand up to the tactics used by police officers and prosecutors, helping a person respond to claims regarding controlled substances while making sure their rights are protected. At Woolf & Ross Law Firm, LLC, we can address concerns related to faulty drug tests or other forms of evidence that may be used in a case, and we will work to help our clients resolve these cases successfully. Contact our Hartford drug crimes attorneys at 860-290-8690 to set up a free consultation and get the legal representation needed in these cases.