3 Common Issues with Drug Crimes

Drug crimes are common problems in the white collar community . Some criminal attorneys would argue that drugs are a widespread enough issue among respected people that the lawmakers need to re-think what is actually illegal, and for what reasons … but that is a separate issue! Drug crimes seem simple, but can actually be fairly complex. Today we look at 3 more of the issues that Fort Lauderdale criminal lawyers commonly encounter in their white collar drug crime cases.

Simple possession - does the punishment fit the crime?

Some states have done quite a lot of work on trying to keep first-time offenders (and sometimes even second-time offenders) out of jail - it is well understood that time in prison only creates more skillful, well-rounded criminals with fewer opportunities in the ordinary world.

So, if this drug charge is your first, you definitely need to talk to a criminal lawyer - even if you have what seems like an excellent plea deal available to you. You may need to file a separate motion to be able to take advantage of the programs and avenues available to you, that won't result in a conviction.

Long waits on felony drug charges

Felony drug charges,, however, are treated far differently to possession. You could be made to wait, twiddling your thumbs, for what seems like a lifetime while the prosecution builds a case around you. Of course, this does give your own criminal attorney time to build your case as well. Your lawyer will be able to tell you what the statute of limitations is for your particular charge - you can only know that your case will be brought somewhere within that time frame.

But my charges were dismissed!

Sometimes as part of a plea bargain or a good behavior bargain, the prosecutor will offer to drop your charges after a certain amount of time. However, you do need to be aware that you'll need to file to have those charges dismissed after the time period has ended - if you don't do so, they could be on your record as a pending court case and affect your travel and immigration status, and be discovered when you go fro a job. Ask your Miami criminal lawyer about filing the paperwork to dismiss - it should be fairly simple.