Commonwealth v. Barbosa

After a series of transactions in which the defendant sold controlled substances to undercover officers, the Lynn police department executed a search warrant at his residence, seizing a quantity of pills and a prescription pill bottle containing other pills. Following a jury trial, the defendant was convicted of various drug offenses,2 including one count of possession of a class E substance (count 8) relating to the pills. On appeal, he argues that his conviction on count 8 should be overturned because the testimony of a forensic chemist was insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt…