The Drug Defense: What To Do If You Are Charged With A Drug-Related Crime

Were you arrested because the authorities believe you were manufacturing, carrying, or selling drugs? Being convicted of such a crime is extremely serious. The types of sentences given to those who are convicted of possession will vary based on a few different factors, such as the type of drug being carried, the amount the person had on them when arrested, and the record of the individual who was arrested. However, some of the most serious charges could cause a person to spend more than a decade in jail. In fact, there are mandatory minimum sentences that must be handed out to those found guilty, with no exceptions made.

If you currently fear the worst and believe you will be found guilty of a drug crime because you were caught with the drugs in your possessions, you must be willing to contact a drug defense attorney. There are attorneys out there who want to help those who are facing a long list of drug charges. It may be possible to have your sentence reduced if you get the right legal help.

Researching Your Case: Gathering More Information

Before the attorney begins handling matters in the courtroom, he or she will need to gather a lot of information on your case. There are many details that you may need to discuss to ensure that the attorney has the best understanding of what happened. The attorney will review police reports to find out what type of drug you were caught with, as well as the exact amount you had on you when you were arrested. He or she may want to ask you if you were working for someone else or even holding the drug paraphernalia for another person, such as a friend, family member, or even your significant other. The purpose of knowing this information is to figure out if there are any potential loopholes that could help you get a plea bargain.

Making Negotiations: Working to Get a Potentially Long Sentence Reduced

If you are looking at the possibility of spending several years behind bars, you might want to know what your attorney can do for you in terms of getting that sentence reduced. Although the opportunity to make deals will vary from person to person based on their individual cases, providing useful information to the prosecution team could work to your advantage.

For example, you may have information on a drug ring that is currently taking over in the area. If you have information that the prosecution can use to take down big-time drug dealers who are much more of a threat than you, it is important to tell your attorney about it as soon as possible. Even though the thought of telling on someone else may be scary, it is one of the best ways to receive a better plea bargain.

Your attorney will work on handling the negotiations to make sure you are getting the absolute best deal possible. Making such deals could mean spending much less time in prison than you were originally facing because of the crime. You do not have to provide any information on what you may know until you have found out more about the deal being offered and you officially decide to accept that deal because it is something you can agree to.

Drug crimes are serious and can lead to long sentences in prison. If you are worried about going away for an extended period and want to do whatever it takes to try to reduce your sentence or even avoid time in prison at all, hiring a drug defense attorney is the first step you should take. Once you have an attorney who is on your side, you can focus on going over everything and providing any information that you may know to your legal representative. Some of the information you know could benefit the prosecution, so it may be possible for your attorney to secure a plea bargain that would help you avoid such a long sentence.