DRUG CRIMES LAW PENNSYLVANIA

Drug crimes can be classified as any state or federal crime committed that involves controlled substances, not regulated by the government.  This includes all illegal drugs such as marijuana, heroin, cocaine, crystal meth, ecstasy or other opiates.

The most common type of drug crime is possession.   Drug possession can be charged in a myriad of ways.  For instance, having an illegal substance on your person would be considered possession, however having a larger quantity of the drug may show your intent to sell.  Possession in this case depends on the type of drug and the amount involved.  In Pennsylvania, possession can be charged as a misdemeanor or felony and the defendant may face penalties from a simple fine to decades in prison.  Other drug charges include:

•          Intent to Distribute
•          Manufacturing or Cultivation
•          Trafficking
•          Transportation
•          Prescription fraud
•          Federal drug crimes
•          or other crimes that can be based in drug use like domestic
           violence and drug charges involving juveniles.

Since many drug-related crimes require a mandatory minimum sentence—which limits judicial discretion—drug convictions occasionally lead to harsher penalties than would otherwise be sentenced.  Recent crackdowns on drug crimes, such as the “War on Drugs” have toughened prosecution making it more imperative to build a strong defense.

Legal  Philly can provide you or your friends and family with the support you need to make sure sentencing for any drug charges are as minimized as possible.  We apply a creative strategy that will first attempt to get evidence of the drugs themselves thrown out.  Part of this strategy is to demonstrate the drugs were found by illegal search and seizure.  From there,  Legal  Philly will continue to fight to reduce the charges on your behalf and provide you with the best possible defense.

Article Submitted by Lawyer Michael Kotik of LegalPhilly.com