Drug Charges Dropped Against Miami Heat Forward Udonis Haslem

The Miami Heat can count on one less issue smearing their controversial offseason, as the drug charges filed against forward Udonis Haslem have been dropped, according to The Miami Herald.

Haslem was arrested on Aug. 15, after police found two pill bottles with bags of marijuana in his car after he was pulled over for speeding. Haslem insisted the drugs were not his and belonged to his passenger, Antwain Fleming. Fleming supported Haslem's claim, telling police the drugs indeed were his.

Fingerprints traced on the pill bottles reinforced Haslem's statement, as the Miami-Dade State Attorney's office dropped the drug charges against the seven-year NBA veteran Thursday afternoon.

While Haslem's attorney, Eric Schwartzreich, said the arrest should have never taken place against the Heat forward, Miami police believed they had probable cause with the charges.

"It took until Sept. 16 to get the results of the print analysis," the Miami Police Department wrote in a statement. "Thus, while there was probable cause for the arrest of Udonis Haslem (it was in the car driven by Udonis Haslem, the car belonged to Udonis Haslem, the cannabis was in the immediate vicinity of Udonis Haslem, etc.), the state could not prove Udonis Haslem's knowledge or possession of the cannabis beyond a reasonable doubt. And as a result, the state attorney's office will not be able to file charges on this defendant."

Had Haslem been convicted of the charges, he would have faced a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $5,000 fine and two years of license suspension.