A person can be arrested and charged with drug crimes if they are stopped by driving or if there is enough of a suspicion to warrant searching their home for drugs and paraphernalia. They could also be charged if the police are called for a different matter and see drugs in plain view when they arrive at the location. The way a person acts during the arrest and what they do afterward can have a large impact on the way the case proceeds and what happens with the charges against the person.
What Can a Person be Charged With?
A person can be charged with a single charge of possession of drugs or drug paraphernalia. They can also be charged with multiple crimes if they have multiple items on them, if the officer believes they intended to sell the drugs, if they have a significant amount of drugs or cash on them, or if there were children involved. The charges can stem from a minor possession charge that could lead to 180 days in jail for a conviction to a major charge that leads to life in prison and tens of thousands of dollars in fines.
How a Lawyer Can Help
Certain procedures must be followed before, during and after an arrest for it to be legally valid. If a search is done on a home, for instance, there must be a search warrant that states what they are searching for or they must have permission to search the location. If evidence is collected, it must be carefully preserved and stored until the hearings are completed. There are often cases where a search warrant wasn’t properly used, where an officer failed to obtain approval before a search, or where evidence is tampered with or lost before a trial. An experienced lawyer understands the laws and regulations surrounding arrests and evidence and can find ways like this they can use to suppress the evidence and help the person obtain a not-guilty charge or have the charges dismissed.
It is imperative that anyone who is arrested and charged with a drug crime contact an experienced lawyer such as the attorneys at Vinas & Graham as quickly as possible to protect their rights and to find out what their options are. Often, a lawyer can help their client get a far better outcome for a case that includes charges for drugs, DWI, or other crimes the person may be accused of.
