Orlando Drug Trafficking Lawyer
A charge of drug trafficking in Florida is a very serious legal issue and one that should never be faced without an experienced Orlando drug trafficking lawyer. Possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana, or possession within 1000 feet of a specially designated location like a school or park, is a felony.
Possession of more than 25 pounds or 300 plants is presumed to mean the defendant is a serious drug dealer, and those amounts are the threshold for mandatory minimum sentencing. Any drug conviction results in a two-year driver’s license suspension, and a felony conviction in Florida means lifetime disfranchisement.
An Orlando drug trafficking lawyer can help you by challenging evidence in pretrial motions and arguing the case in front of a jury. All people accused of a crime are innocent until proven guilty. There are several Constitutional protections involved in any criminal trial. If the police obtained evidence illegally, the evidence should not be allowed in court.
The exclusionary rule has been a legal principle in our system for half a century, and an Orlando drug trafficking lawyer understands the court precedents necessary to have illegally obtained evidence suppressed. These due process rights are the most fundamental of our freedoms. Without them, our other freedoms would be words on paper. The government would simply be able to prosecute people on trumped-up charges.
Drug trafficking charges in Florida do not necessarily mean the defendant is guilty. It may appear to be an open-and-shut case on the surface, but the mere fact that the defendant and the drugs were in the same place is not proof of guilt. An innocent person might be in the wrong place at the wrong time. A person could also be set up by a criminal or a dirty cop.
Drug trafficking charges in Florida could also occur without the defendant being in possession of drugs. This could be the case of the defendant being thrown under the bus by a dealer. In any of these cases, an Orlando criminal attorney can be an extremely valuable asset.
When to Hire an Orlando Drug Trafficking Lawyer
In some cases, an individual accused of trafficking was in possession of a large number of drugs. If this is the case, an Orlando criminal attorney can still be a valuable asset by helping negotiate a plea deal.
In exchange for helping the government catch higher-level members of the operation (or for helping to solve unrelated crimes), you may be able to plead to a lesser charge and receive a reduced sentence. Of course, you should never point the finger at an innocent person, but if you have legitimate evidence regarding major crimes, an Orlando criminal attorney can help you use that to your advantage.
If you are facing a drug trafficking charge, you are up against a very powerful machine. The government has unlimited resources, and the prosecutor knows the ins and outs of the court system. To level the playing field and protect your rights, you need an Orlando drug trafficking lawyer as your advocate.
