Woman sues Bryan County Sheriff’s Office over false heroin charge

BRYAN COUNTY, Ga. — A Florida woman has filed a federal lawsuit against the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office, claiming she was wrongfully charged with drug trafficking when deputies mistook instant coffee for heroin during a 2022 traffic stop.

Lesly Canales was driving on I-95 through Bryan County on Dec. 11, 2022, when she was pulled over for speeding and failing to maintain her lane. Deputies found a bag of coffee in her car during the stop.

“In my mind, I’m thinking, ‘This is like, some movie stuff.’ Like I’ve only seen this stuff happen in movies. I don’t do stuff like that, I have too much to lose,” Canales says.

Field test results contradicted by lab

The lawsuit filed against the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Mark Crowe and several deputies claims that despite Canales telling officers the substance was coffee, deputies field tested it and received a positive result for heroin.

Canales was arrested on eight charges, including drug trafficking, despite what the lawsuit says was “the absence of any heroin-use paraphernalia.”

“The first thing I said, I was like, ‘It’s my word against their word. They’re cops and I’m nobody. I’m never coming out of jail,’” Canales says.

After her arrest, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) lab tested the substance and found it “contained no controlled substances,” according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit says despite deputies being aware of the lab results, the heroin charges were not dropped.

Month-long jail stay over holidays

Canales spent over a month in the Bryan County jail until her bond on the drug trafficking charge was reduced and she could pay it.

“This happened around the holidays, and I missed my daughter’s first Christmas, my daughter’s first New Years. I wasn’t in a position to miss out on my daughter’s life,” she says.

The lawsuit alleges the drug charge wasn’t dismissed until an Assistant District Attorney on the Atlantic Judicial Circuit viewed the GBI lab report with Canales over a year and a half later in July 2024.

The lawsuit also claims the Sheriff’s Office, under Sheriff Crowe, “does not currently supply officers with the appropriate narcotic field-testing kits.”

Canales is seeking a trial and compensation for lost time, lost wages and other damages. She eventually pled guilty to weaving and speeding, but all other charges against her were dropped.

The Sheriff’s Office has not yet responded to a request for comment.

You can view the full lawsuit below.