Drug, Gun Charges Put On Hold In Mass. Lab Scandal

A career criminal who pleaded guilty to drug and gun charges has had his sentences placed on hold by a judge who cited the ongoing scandal at the state drug lab.

David Huffman pleaded guilty to trafficking in heroin and cocaine, possession of Oxycodone with intent to distribute, and unlawful possession of ammunition and a firearm as an armed career criminal. He began serving concurrent seven- to 10-year sentences last month.

A Suffolk Superior Court judge on Monday agreed to a defense motion to place his sentences on hold and set bail at $75,000 cash, citing the investigation into the mishandling of drug samples at the Boston lab.

"He thought the heavens opened, quite frankly," said Bernard Grossberg, Huffman's lawyer. "I mean, he was facing the very beginning of a seven-year sentence, and then I had to tell him, or did tell him, that there was a possibility that seven-year sentence, as soon as it was imposed, may be vacated."

Grossberg said Huffman would not have pleaded guilty to any of the charges if he knew the drug evidence would be tainted.

With reporting by The Associated Press and the WBUR Newsroom