An interstate drug stop, whether lawful or unlawful, will without a doubt happen to some drivers when traveling across state lines. As the quantity of drugs you are charged with possessing goes up, so do the penalties for such charges. Greater quantities are usually referred to as “trafficking.” Cutting off the supply of the commerce drug trade is one of the more considerable roles the local state law enforcement and the federal government plays in the “War on Drugs.”
Interstate Drug Stop Penalties
An interstate drug stop can have major ramifications. Even a minor drug conviction can have a serious impact on a suspect’s future, from their source of income and opportunities to occupation, loans, and leases. A serious charge, such as possession with the intent to distribute, can demolish any hopes of preserving normalcy, as you can spend years in prison, thousands of dollars in fines, and lose your property due to search and seizure.
Both federal and state laws have very distinctive penalties for the various degrees of drug possession, and it usually depends on the “schedule” of drugs nabbed. Some illegal drugs in certain quantities and amounts hold their own mandatory minimum sentencing, denoting you must serve a certain period of time if convicted.
First offenses for possession with intent to distribute marijuana can have a minimum sentence of one year and a maximum sentence of 20 years. Harder drugs like heroin, cocaine or methamphetamine can result in a sentence of up to 50 years or even life imprisonment, depending on the amount possessed.
Interstate Drug Stop Defense
For individuals associated in an interstate drug stop, the law can be difficult to understand and you may have questions about whether the arresting officer acted within the law or violated your rights. The primary evidence for the prosecution is always the confiscated drug itself. A knowledgeable defense lawyer can file motions to suppress the evidence for any blunder that the police made in procedure while managing a search to obtain the evidence. Without the serious evidence, the prosecution’s case may not have enough proof and the case could be reduced or dismissed.
A proficient attorney will look at all of the circumstances surrounding your case, including things like whether you first gave the police officer reasonable suspicion of criminal action. Once it has been decided that the police officer had probable cause, did you, in fact, give the adequate consent to be searched or did law enforcement have to obtain a warrant? These concerns need to be checked out and dealt with before they can build a case against you.
Interstate Drug Stop Lawyer
An interstate drug stop can result to an arrest and in some cases an infringement of the Constitutional rights of drivers. If you have been pulled over as a drug suspect, you need the reliable defense only a good Utah drug defense attorney can bring to offer protection to your rights.
