Orlando Drug Crime Defense Attorney

The Florida Legislature has taken a very serious stand on drug use. In fact, the drug statutes are among the strictest in the country. There are many sanctions required to be imposed when one is convicted of drug possession, drug purchase or sales, or trafficking large quantities of drugs. The severity of your charge may be related to the weight of the drugs in question.

When someone is accused of possessing a trafficking amount of drugs, there will most likely be a minimum mandatory period of prison time if they are convicted as well as fines in the tens of thousands of dollars. A lesser known sanction of drug possession is that a conviction may suspend your driver’s license. Drug offenses can be filed in state or federal court, depending on what agency has made the arrest and the nature of the drug charge. Regardless of your charge, and regardless of whether you are in state or federal court, you want an aggressive defense to be conducted by an experienced lawyer.

Orlando Drug Crimes

We provide an experienced, aggressive defense against all drug crime charges, including the following:

• Drug possession
  (Including club drugs like MDMA, cocaine, marijuana, heroin, prescription drugs and methamphetamines, as well as possession of prescription drugs without a prescription)
• Drug trafficking
  (Also referred to as drug dealing, drug sales, drug delivery or possession of drugs with the intent to distribute)
• Drug purchase
  (Including being set up in a drug sting operation)
• Drug cultivation
  (Typically, growing marijuana)
• Drug manufacturing
  (Typically manufacturing methamphetamines — crystal meth, sometimes referred to as a meth lab)
• Prescription fraud
  (Including doctor shopping and forging prescriptions)
• Drug sales and delivery

If you are charged with a drug crime or if you know you are under state or federal investigation for a drug crime, get an experienced Orlando criminal attorney. Your freedom is too important to risk.

Types of Orlando Drug Charges

There are three general categories for Florida drug crimes: possession, dealing, and trafficking. Some of the most common drugs people are charged with possessing are cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and Xanax. If you are prescribed Xanax by a doctor, you can legally possess it, but if you aren’t, then the laws for possession are similar to those for cocaine or heroin. It is considered a third degree felony and you can face 5 years of probation or prison time, a $5,000 fine, and/or a two-year driver’s license suspension.

Marijuana is not considered as serious as most other drugs, so if you are arrested possessing 20 grams or less, you will likely only be charged with a first degree misdemeanor, which can result in one year of probation or jail time, or a fine of up to $1,000. However, if you are caught with more than 20 grams, then you will face the same charges and penalties as if you were possessing other drugs.

If you are caught dealing drugs, then this is a different matter. It can be considered a first-degree felony, depending on the quantity of drugs you have, and can result in up to 30 years in prison.

If you have a very high amount of drugs in your possession while caught dealing, the charge can become a trafficking charge, which can result in very harsh punishments. In some cases, it can result in life in prison. These laws are in place to handle large-scale criminal operations. But it’s not just possession of a large amount that can land you in this category. Anyone who sells, buys, manufactures, delivers, or brings a controlled substance in from out of state could be accused of trafficking.

What are the thresholds for a trafficking charge in Florida? Here’s a list for some common drugs.

• Cannabis: 25 pounds or 300 plants
• Cocaine: 28 grams
• GHB: 1 kilogram
• Hydrocodone: 4 grams
• LSD: 1 gram
• MDMA (Ecstasy): 10 grams
• Oxycodone: 4 grams

In most cases, the more drugs you have in your possession, the worse sentence you will receive. Getting caught with a small amount of marijuana can get you a sentence of 3 years and a $25,000 fine, but if you are caught with a larger amount, the sentence can change significantly to up to 15 years in prison and a $200,000 fine.

Find out what your options are and how you can pursue the best possible defense for your case. There are many ways to fight charges, including illegal search and seizure, insufficient evidence, entrapment, and substantial assistance.

Remember, being accused of a drug crime isn’t the same thing as being convicted. If you are a first time offender, there are additional options available to you. But even if you have many past convictions, you can fight the charges and work towards getting your case dropped or the charges reduced with the help of an experienced Orlando drug crime lawyer.

Prescription Drugs and the Law

There are a lot of prescription drugs being prescribed by pain clinics and pain management centers. Some people are repackaging and reselling them. A lot of people don’t know the severity of punishment for doing this with prescription drugs.

There’s been a specific push by the state of Florida to go after prescription drugs. That has started from the very top, in the Governor’s Office, going after the “pill mills”. These are the doctors that overly prescribe Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, and other more frequently prescribed pain medications.

These drugs are opiates and there is a high level of abuse on those particular prescriptions. We are seeing more and more emphasis placed by the local municipalities and the state to vigorously prosecute the peddlers of prescription pills.