Criminal Defense Attorney Caught Buying Heroin

A defense attorney who has had run-ins with the law in the past is now facing drug charges in Santa Barbara County after authorities allegedly caught him buying heroin in Carpinteria on December 22.

Alan Karow, 48, who practices criminal law in Santa Barbara, was the subject of a weeks-long investigation by the the Sheriff’s Department after learning he had “been using heroin and prescription pills and was suspected of coming to court while under the influence of a controlled substance,” according to a press release from department spokesperson Drew Sugars.

On the morning of December 22, according to Sugars, detectives observed Karow park his car outside a home on 9th Street in Carpinteria. “As he had on several previous occasions,” explained Sugars, “Karow purchased heroin from a man through the passenger window of his car.” Detectives followed Karow a few blocks, where he pulled over. This time, detectives were prepared with search warrants and, as they approached, Karow was allegedly preparing to smoke the just-purchased heroin.