Georgia takes drug offenses seriously, meaning you may face devastating penalties if you are not prepared with a strong defense after an arrest. If you are convicted, especially if you do not pursue the help of drug crime lawyers like ours, you may face imprisonment, debt, and a criminal record that hurts your future for years to come. Without legal support, a conviction may feel inevitable.
When you have been accused of a drug offense, a Newnan criminal defense attorney at J. Ryan Brown Law can offer needed support for your case, build a powerful defense strategy, and provide the tools needed to take action. When you need Newnan drug defense lawyers, we can bring insight and resources you otherwise may not have access to. When you are ready to take action, reach out to our defense team and learn more about your legal options.
Drug offenses are a serious concern in Georgia and across the United States, as they make up a large percentage of state convictions. According to statistics provided by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, 44.4% of inmates generally are imprisoned for drug offenses. That includes more than 64,000 people imprisoned currently.
According to a report by the United States Sentencing Commission, drug crimes also represent the majority of federal offenses pursued in Georgia. Of the 544 cases reported to the commission, 23.7% of them were drug crimes. Of these cases, 60.8% of these offenses involved methamphetamine.
These numbers have led to strict rules and laws regarding drug crimes in Georgia, leading to harsh penalties and long sentences for many people. If you reach out to us, we may be able to help you build a strong defense strategy and take the proper steps forward. If you are struggling to get answers following accusations of drug crimes in Georgia, you can always reach out for help from our drug crime lawyers.
When you have been accused of a drug offense, knowing exactly what you have been charged with is crucial to building a solid defense. If you are unsure what you have been charged with, your drug defense lawyer in Newnan at our firm can work to identify the charges against you, determine what evidence is needed, and the penalties you may face for a conviction. Below are some of the most common drug offenses you may be charged with in Georgia.
If you are found with illegal drugs on your person, you may be accused of drug possession under the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.) § 16-13-30.1. Any amount of illicit controlled substances, including prescription medications without a prescription, can lead to an arrest and charges of possession. The severity of these charges also depends on the amount of these drugs in your possession, so contact us about these charges if you are unsure where to begin.
In some cases, you may have been accused of not only possessing drugs but possessing them with the intent to sell them, which also falls under the drug possession statute. In these cases, the police may look for signs of significant amounts of a controlled substance, large amounts of money, and other evidence pointing towards a sale. If you have been charged with selling drugs, but you only had a certain amount for yourself, for example, we may even be able to reduce these charges to possession, which may come with a much lighter sentence.
When the amount of controlled substances or marijuana crosses a certain threshold, or if the drugs are being transferred from place to place, according to the police, you may be charged with drug trafficking under O.C.G.A. § 16-13-31. This is a much more severe charge, and it can lead to a much higher sentence. That can be difficult to overcome, especially if you are accused of trafficking drugs across state lines.
If you are charged with trafficking drugs across state lines, your charges escalate from a state offense to a federal offense by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Federal offenses come with much more severe penalties, which can impact your ability to recover if you are convicted. In these cases, it is more important than ever to push back and defend your case.
In other cases, you may be charged with manufacturing these drugs under O.C.G.A, § 16-13-30, which may include the growing of marijuana. You may have been accused of running a clandestine drug lab, and you may face charges involving the sale of controlled substances in addition to the manufacturing charges. When your charges become this complex, it is crucial to seek out a powerful criminal defender from J. Ryan Brown Law.
When accused of a drug offense, drug crime attorneys like ours may be an essential element in protecting you from devastating penalties. These penalties could permanently alter the future of your life, leaving you facing the penalties for months, years, or a lifetime. Below are some of the penalties you may face, which can vary based on the specifics of the charges brought against you.
If you are convicted of a misdemeanor or felony, you may face imprisonment, but the severity and length of time can vary dramatically based on which you face. It can also vary significantly depending on the drugs in question. Georgia law includes specific statutes regarding marijuana and other substances And the different levels of substances can impact the potential penalties you face when charged with a drug offense.. O.C.G.A § 16-13-25 and § 16-13-26 list those drugs classified as schedule I and schedule II drugs respectively.
For example, for possession of less than 1 ounce of marijuana, you may face misdemeanor charges. A misdemeanor conviction can come with up to 12 months of incarceration in a county jail. However, if you have more than 1 ounce of marijuana in your possession, you may face felony charges with up to 10 years in prison.
For possession of certain controlled substances, you may face felony charges, which means you may spend more than a year in prison. For possession of more than 1 ounce of marijuana you could face up to 10 years in prison. Whereas the unlawful possession of Schedule III, IV, or V controlled substances, you may face up to 3 years in prison or more depending on the weightWhen charged with trafficking offenses, you can face up to 30 years imprisonment.
Because drug charges vary so much, fines can range from thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. You could be facing fines of up to $1 million for a felony conviction. A drug defense lawyer with our firm can help determine how severe these fines may be and what you can do to fight them.
The penalties for a drug conviction go beyond your jail time or fines. A criminal conviction puts a mark on your criminal record, which will be seen by anyone completing a background check. That can impact your ability to secure housing, find employment, get a loan, and more.
In some cases, you may be able to mitigate some of these penalties through probation. Rather than accept a lengthy sentence, probation allows you to avoid time in prison If you follow certain rules and regulations, such as weekly meetings with your probation officer and avoiding specific locations. Talk with our legal team about your options for these situations.
When pursuing a strong defense for your drug charges, a drug possession attorney with our team can help you identify the best possible options for your case. These depend on the specifics of your charges, including how you are arrested and what evidence has been laid against you. We can identify key defense strategies that can help you navigate your case and pursue the dismissal of your charges.
Keep in mind that the specifics of your defense strategy will vary based on your case, and only some of these strategies may be viable. That is why we review every case on its own, identifying key ways we can help you defend your future.
When a police officer makes an arrest or accuses you of criminal behavior, they must have probable cause to do so. If they do not have probable cause, you may have grounds for a strong defense against any evidence gathered during your arrest. To prove the police did not have probable cause, we need to show they had no reason to believe you were committing a crime at the time of your traffic stop or arrest.
For example, you may have been pulled over for a damaged tail light. However, in the course of the traffic stop, the police may illegally searched your vehicle and found a bag of drugs. That evidence may not be used as evidence against you if the police did not have probable cause to believe you were committing a crime before they stopped your vehicle.
Sometimes, arrests come from a mistake in the facts of the case. Often, when we think of a mistake of fact, we think of mistaken identity. For example, you may have been arrested for possession of drugs, but In reality, you have been mistaken for another person who may look like you or who a victim of the crime has misidentified. In these situations, one of your best defense strategies may be to prove that you could not have possibly been present or able to commit the crime.
In other cases, there may be a mistake of fact in the course of the case. For example, you may have been carrying fresh herbs from your garden that the police mistakenly assumed was marijuana. In these cases, your defense strategy may rest on chemical analysis or identification of the alleged drugs in your possession to prove that they were not drugs, as the police may have assumed.
Entrapment refers to situations where the police have pressed you to commit a crime you would not otherwise commit and then arrested you for that crime. For example, a disguised police officer may have coerced or threatened you into buying or selling drugs, only to reveal they were a police officer and arrest you. In these situations, you may not have had real intent to commit those crimes but were instead coerced.
If you believe you are a victim of entrapment, reach out to our team for help. Entrapment can be a powerful defense strategy for those impacted by these situations, as proof of entrapment can negate the evidence against you. Entrapment is illegal under O.C.G.A. §16-3-25, so if a police officer was engaging in this act, you may have grounds to pursue a dismissal of your charges.
When you are accused of committing a drug crime, you may have difficulties building a solid defense that works for your needs. You may not have the tools and resources to properly seek the defenses that could help you avoid a potential conviction. Worse, you may not have the tools to help you gather evidence that could be used to defend your case.
Fortunately, at J. Ryan Brown Law, we have significant experience helping those accused of drug crimes get answers about the specifics of their case and defense strategies that can help them protect their future. If you have been accused of a drug crime, you can contact us for a personalized defense and answers to the specific details of your case. While you wait for your one-on-one consultation, you can always review the following frequently asked questions to learn more about how we help our clients clear their names.
If you have just discovered a warrant out for your arrest, the first step is not to panic. Contact us about your warrant, which can be served at any time, and we can contact the police on your behalf. We can arrange a discreet arrest, either by turning yourself into the police station or by escorting you to the station.
You may think that you can avoid paying for a defense attorney if you plan to plead guilty, especially if you believe you have no grounds to prove you are not guilty, but this can be a mistake that hurts your future. Even if you plan to plead guilty, we can help pursue a plea bargain and potentially reduce the charges against you. While you are not required to hire a lawyer, we are here to minimize the impact of a conviction, even if you plead guilty.
If you are unhappy with the defense you receive from your current attorney, you may have grounds to seek a new one. Our team is prepared to take over your case. Cases that are near completion may not have this option, but you can reach out to us to determine whether you are eligible to change defense lawyers.
When you are arrested, remember that anything you say can and potentially will be used against you, which the police should inform you of through your Miranda Rights. This means that you do not have to say anything that may potentially incriminate you to the police during the process of your arrest. When arrested, keep in mind that you only have to provide basic identifying information rather than answering with details about the specifics of your case, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
In some situations, a plea bargain or other agreement may be made to allow you to seek rehab rather than completing a jail sentence. This may also be part of your probation, which provides specific rules for you to follow in order to avoid jail time. However, this is not always an option, so be sure that you speak with us about your best defense options before you pursue this option.
When you are accused of drug-related crimes, it can take away your future in an instant. You may be shocked to find yourself facing felony or even federal charges when drugs are involved. Without a drug defense attorney from J. Ryan Brown Law on your side, you may find yourself struggling to recover from these accusations without facing massive penalties.
Fortunately, our Newnan drug defense attorneys are here to help reduce or dismiss your charges. When you are struggling to get answers for your case, do not hesitate to reach out for legal support that can give you the answers and a powerful defense strategy. You need to clear the name of the charges against you. To schedule your confidential defense strategy session, call or complete our online contact form.
J. Ryan Brown Law, LLC
J. Ryan Brown Law, LLC
