Accused of a Drug Crime?
Get Help from a Los Angeles Criminal Lawyer
A conviction of a drug or narcotic charge will result in your life never being the same again. It may be difficult to find a job, enroll in school, apply for a loan, vote, or keep your driver’s license. Depending on the amount and type of the drug or drug paraphernalia, drug charges are misdemeanors or felonies, not only on a state level, but possibly on a federal level as well. Drug offenders in California receive harsh penalties including monetary fines, probation, and possible jail time. Do not underestimate the seriousness of any drug charge. An experienced Los Angeles criminal attorney at Gardner + Associates understands the seriousness of the drug charges you are facing and will fight for your right.
Drug paraphernalia includes all equipment, products, and materials of any kind which are intended for use or designed for use, in planting, propagating, cultivating, growing, harvesting, manufacturing, compounding, converting, producing, processing, preparing, testing, analyzing, packaging, repackaging, storing, containing, concealing, injecting, ingesting, inhaling, or otherwise introducing into the human body a controlled substance. This extremely broad definition covers everything from growing kits and scales to blenders and bowls – anything that is possible to convert into drug paraphernalia. Even if you did not know the item was paraphernalia, it can be deemed illegal possess and can subject you to serious criminal punishment. It is very easy for the prosecution to support drug paraphernalia charges.
Possession of ANY illegal controlled substance is punishable by both state and federal law. These drugs include, but are not limited to, marijuana, Ecstasy, methamphetamine, cocaine, PCP, LSD, and heroin. A conviction of possession could mean monetary fines, community service, probation, or imprisonment. If the drug offender has a prior criminal record, the charge is automatically elevated to a felony, and counts as a strike.
Possession for sale of a controlled substance is a misdemeanor or a felony crime, depending on the type and quantity of drug, and whether there was “intent to sell” the drug. Usually these charges involve “street drugs” such as cocaine, and methamphetamine, but they also apply to drugs commonly thought of as medications (many of which are actually prescribed by a licensed physician). Conviction of drug possession for sale means a punishment of monetary fines, imprisonment, probation, community service, and registration as a drug offender.
Drug manufacturing is the production and selling of illegal narcotics and substances, including plants used in the production of illegal narcotics. The manufacturing of substances such as LSD, marijuana, methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine is a severely prosecuted felony offense. If convicted of drug manufacturing, punishment includes a high monetary fine, probation, registration with a narcotics officer, court mandated rehabilitation, house arrest, and imprisonment.
Distribution refers to the transporting, manufacturing, and selling of illegal drugs in smaller quantities than in drug trafficking. If convicted of distributing illegal drugs such as steroids, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, Ecstasy, LSD, PCP, and morphine, the court will evaluate the case before sentencing. Offenders face punishments of imprisonment, fines, house arrest, probation, community service, and mandatory registration as a drug offender.
Prescription fraud includes altering an existing prescription, impersonating a medical staff to get a prescription, stealing prescription forms, forging a prescription, and presenting a forged prescription to a pharmacist. Prescription fraud is a felony, and if you are convicted on such a charge, the consequences can be imprisonment, fines, community service, house arrest, probation, parole, and registration as a drug offender.
Drug Trafficking refers to the transporting, manufacturing, and selling of illegal drugs and narcotics in larger scale than in distribution. A court of law will evaluate the past drug record of the offender, if the offender ever sold to minors, or has any past criminal history before sentencing. If convicted, drug traffickers incur punishment of imprisonment, fines, house arrest, probation, community service, and mandatory registration as a drug offender.
If you, or someone you know, is facing ANY drug or narcotic crime charge, contact a Los Angeles criminal lawyer at Gardner + Associates immediately for a confidential and free consultation. Jennifer Gardner and Mark McBride are aggressive, yet compassionate advocates who will fight doggedly for your freedom. With over 30 years experience working against drug and narcotic charges, they know the system and use that knowledge to your advantage.