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Drug Charges Dropped Following Lab Scandal in Delaware

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WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - Delaware prosecutors have dropped drug charges against a man accused of dealing heroin following testimony at a court hearing regarding an evidence-tampering and theft scandal at the state's drug testing lab.

The charges against 31-year-old Braaheim D. Reed were dropped Thursday morning before a judge resumed a hearing that could determine the fate of hundreds of other drug prosecutions in Delaware.

The decision by prosecutors came following court testimony Wednesday regarding the discovery of 648 bags of heroin in an evidence envelope in Reed's case when the envelope was labeled as having 598 bags.

Public defenders have argued during the hearing that concluded Thursday that prosecutors cannot meet their burden of establishing the integrity of evidence in other cases, and that hundreds of pending drug prosecutions should therefore be dismissed.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.