Drug Crime Lawyer in Atlanta Can Help You Avoid Serious Penalties

A conviction on drug charges can have a profound impact on your life. A knowledgeable Drug crime lawyer in Atlanta can help you avoid the serious penalties you may face.

Georgia takes drug crimes seriously, whether it is simple possession of marijuana or more serious felony drug offenses involving LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, MDMA, or heroin. Your defense depends on how police gathered evidence and who you hire to represent you in the case.

Possession

A charge of possession is an allegation that you knowingly or purposefully possessed a controlled substance. This may include a drug such as marijuana that has not been grown or sold, but it can also encompass prescription drugs such as Ambien or Valium. Convictions for drug possession can carry serious penalties depending on the type of drug and its quantity.

Police officers can use a variety of factors to determine whether someone possesses drugs with intent to sell, including the quantity of the drug, how it is packaged and whether there is a scale or other paraphernalia nearby. Possession with intent to distribute is a far more serious offense than simple possession, and it can result in a prison sentence of up to 15 years for a first offense.

An experienced Atlanta drug crime lawyer can help you fight the charges by raising important issues to challenge the evidence in your case. This may include arguing that there was an error during search and seizure by a police officer or that drugs were planted on you.

Trafficking

Drug trafficking is a serious criminal offense in Georgia that carries strict penalties. A person may be charged with trafficking if they possess drugs in excess of certain amounts, which indicates that the person intends to sell the drugs.

The trafficking of drugs can occur within the state or across state lines. Typically, police will charge someone with drug trafficking if they believe the individual is selling, transporting or importing illegal substances from another state or country.

A drug trafficking attorney can help a client defend against these charges by challenging the evidence that the police gathered during their investigation. For example, an attorney may argue that the police violated the suspect’s rights when they interrogated him or her without a lawyer present.

In addition, a lawyer could also point out that the state did not properly weigh the alleged drug. This type of defense can result in the case being dismissed or reduced to a lesser offense.

Manufacturing

A crime of drug manufacturing occurs when you possess the tools and materials that could be used to create illicit drugs, and you also intend to manufacture those drugs. This is typically a felony, and the penalties are significant. You may face decades in prison if convicted of drug manufacturing charges.

This charge is often tied to cultivation, but it can also be directed toward people who produce drugs in other ways. For example, you might be charged with drug manufacturing if you take a legal substance like opium and turn it into heroin by chemical synthesis or some other extraction process. This can also include growing marijuana or other plants for the purpose of making illegal drugs.

Defending against drug manufacturing charges requires an in-depth understanding of federal laws, including the drug trafficking statutes. It also helps if you have a knowledgeable criminal defense attorney who can create an effective strategy for your case, which might include proving that the materials were being used for a legitimate purpose and that the amount produced was for personal use only.

Distribution

If you are arrested with a drug offense, the prosecutor will likely include the allegation that you had “intent to sell.” The police may have evidence that supports this intent including the presence of scales, lists of regular buyers/clients, and large amounts of cash. This is a much more serious charge than drug possession and has severe punishments.

Your attorney can investigate how the evidence was obtained and determine if any procedural rights were violated. If this is the case, your defense could include that the evidence was gathered illegally and should be excluded from your trial.

The federal government is waging an aggressive campaign against major drug trafficking organizations. These investigations can span months and lead to indictments against a whole organization’s international leadership structure, financial networks, and the movement of illicit drugs and drug proceeds. Defending these cases requires an Atlanta drug lawyer that is familiar with federal and state laws, how they differ, and how to use them in your favor.