Drug crimes are serious charges, and those accused of selling, buying, or using drugs will be faced with a complex dilemma in court. In North Carolina, the drug charges are classified by a schedule. The schedule determines the severity of the drug and the severity of the punishment. A drug lawyer in Wake County can help you defend yourself and help minimize your sentence if you’re found guilty of your drug charges.
Protecting Your Constitutional Rights
Once law enforcement makes contact with you regarding drug charges, you are protected by constitutional rights. The average person often doesn’t understand when and how their constitutional rights are violated, so it’s important to have someone on your side who understands the law and will fight to make sure that all the legal processes were adhered to.
The government must follow certain rules when making arrests, engaging in raids, monitoring suspects, and searching properties. When you hire a drug lawyer in Wake County, he or she will evaluate your case and make sure that the police and those involved followed the law and abided by your constitutional rights. In certain situations, charges won’t stand if police or detectives violated those rights. If there was no probable cause for your arrest or the government was using an unidentified informant who had access to you and your property, the case can be challenged.
Possible Penalties for Drug Charges
If all of your rights were protected, then the next step is to work on fighting your charges and reducing the penalty. This isn’t always possible, but only your attorney will know the best method for negotiating with the government. Sometimes plea negotiations are key because they allow for you to review all of your options before proceeding to trial. Representing yourself through this process is never a good idea. Always have legal representation that has your best interests at heart.
With most drug charges the penalty is possible jail time. The severity of the jail time will depend upon the type of drugs involved, whether you were trafficking the drugs, and whether or not you’re a first time or repeat offender. The lowest amount of jail time is often one month with the higher schedule of drugs leading to a possibility of 10 years or more in prison. With the right drug lawyer in Wake County, you can fight to reduce your sentence and negotiate with the government to gain an advantage.
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