State v. Henry

The opinion of the Court was delivered by

HANDLER, J.

This appeal concerns the validity of a “buy-bust” operation that resulted in the arrest and conviction of defendant on narcotics charges. An undercover police officer was invited into defendant’s apartment, where he purchased cocaine. As soon as he left the apartment, he informed his backup team of the “buy,” and they moved in for the “bust.” They knocked, defendant opened the door, and when they announced themselves as police officers, a co-defendant fled into a back room of the apartment to try to hide contraband. The question before the…