Drug charges
Drug charges, from the stop forward
A drug case is rarely about the drugs alone. It starts with why you were stopped, what was searched and whose the drugs were.
Out here the interstates carry a lot of traffic, and many drug arrests begin with a car stop. We defend charges in county court and in federal court, and we begin by asking whether the stop and the search were lawful before we ask anything about the substance.
The stop
Why you were pulled over, and how long it lasted.
The search
Whether you agreed, or whether there was a warrant.
The drugs
Whose they were, how much, and how they were tested.
Charges we handle
Possession of any amount
Possession with intent and delivery
Drugs found in a car after a stop
Prescription-medication charges
Federal trafficking and conspiracy
Probation violations tied to a drug test
How a case grows
How a drug case grows
The strongest part of a drug case is usually the part nobody shows you, so we start there.
Step 1: Roots
We get the stop video, the dispatch record and the lab request, and read why the officer says the stop began.
Step 2: Trunk
We decide whether to challenge the stop or the search, and whether the lab work holds up, and tell you what each path could cost.
Step 3: Branches
We negotiate from what we found, or take the motion to the judge. If there is an offer, we explain what it does to your license, your job and your record.
Step 4: Shade
When the case ends, we talk about treatment, probation terms and whether anything can later be sealed, so the ending is planned.
Sample matters
How these cases can end
Three invented sample matters, written to show the kinds of outcomes a drug case can have.
Dismissed
Possession, traffic stop
The stop ran longer than its reason, and the evidence from the search was set aside.
Sample matter
Reduced
Delivery charge
Reduced to simple possession after the lab report and the weight were questioned.
Sample matter
Deferred
Possession, first offense
Charge held off while the client completed a program, then closed.
Sample matter
Sample matters, shown for illustration. Every case is different, and a past result does not predict another.
Questions
Asked about drug cases
Can the evidence be thrown out?
Sometimes. If a stop or a search wasn't lawful, a judge can set the evidence aside. We can't promise it, and we'll tell you honestly whether we think it applies.
What if the drugs were not mine?
Then whose they were becomes the center of the case. Who was in the car, who had access and what the officer actually saw all matter.
Will a drug charge cost me my license?
It can, depending on the charge and the outcome. We check this first, because some deadlines are short.
Charged with a drug offense?
Call before you talk to anyone about it. We will start with the stop.