Interstate drug trafficking is the forbidden import of illegal controlled substances– such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and other drugs– using the interstate system. Interstates have continuously been significant for the crime of drug trafficking, as criminals play a menacing game of cat and mouse with law enforcement. What is harmful for interstate drug traffickers is the countless good reasons they can be pulled over: minor traffic violations, like speeding, driving too slow, driving with a crack in the windshield, or a taillight out. Law enforcement has also been identified for employing illegal approaches like racial and out of state profiling, making interstate drug trafficking all the more perilous.
Once a law enforcement officer has pulled you over, if the motor vehicle seems to be damaged (the alteration of panels, screws, or interior parts) for smuggling reasons, they will almost always seek a better look at of the car. If you do not have an idea of your civil liberties and concede, then a drug bust may be underway and before you know it an additional law enforcement team member is on site with a drug-sniffing dog. In fact, you deserve privacy and decline consent, and anybody stopped under these pretenses should merely present their driver’s license and registration information. You do not have to reply to their concerns if you don’t want to.
Interstate Drug Trafficking Penalties
Interstate drug trafficking punishments following a conviction for a felony state or federal drug trafficking charge will likely trigger very severe difficulties, like a huge fine or a mandatory prison sentence. If you are caught in possession of a Schedule I drug such as ecstasy, you can face up to five years imprisonment and pay up to $5,000 in fines. Other factors can affect your sentencing such as prior drug convictions and can mean more severe penalties like imprisonment for 15 years and fines up to $10,000. If prosecutors can validate you intended to distribute a controlled substance, your consequences could be more severe.
Interstate Drug Trafficking Defense
An interstate drug trafficking defense attorney can examine the issuance and execution of search warrants to fight unfairly gathered evidence, and can contest illegal search warrants and reveal police mistakes made during the process. When the evidence is countered against you, attorneys can look into sentencing options and essentially reach a deal with the prosecution. In federal drug trafficking cases, where sentences are far more serious, there may be the option to check out a substance abuse program for the defendant in order to set aside conviction and sentencing.
Interstate Drug Trafficking Lawyer
The pre-file stage of an interstate drug trafficking case is among the most detrimental for the accused. It is essential that you call and work with a lawyer promptly after your arrest, because police and prosecutors will move instantly and their investigation will be merciless in getting you to incriminate yourself so they are able to put you behind bars. Call a competent criminal defense lawyer who can look at all potential results of the case and speak wisely on your behalf, to make sure you are not taken advantage of.
