Drug Crimes can range from a simple misdemeanor, such as possession of marijuana under 20 grams, up to serious drug crimes such as trafficking, which has harsh minimum mandatories.
The degree of drug crime you are charged with depends on what type of drug you have, what you intended to do with the drug and the weight (or amount) of the drug or drugs in your possession.
Intent may be whether you intended to use or sell the drugs in question. If you intend to sell, punishments can go up to 30 years in prison. With minimum mandatories for drug offenses, you could lose your driver’s license for at least one year.
So, if you are charged with a drug crime, it is important that you hire a lawyer that understands the different drug crime statutes, the different types of drug charges for the various types of illegal drugs illegally obtained prescription drugs, or other controlled substances.
If you were pulled over by law enforcement, we will examine if law enforcement had the proper probable cause to do so, if they had the correct warrants, and whether the drugs were yours or not.
It is important to note that under the paw, just because the drug was near you, that does not mean that they are automatically your drugs. Both knowledge and possession must be proven by the prosecution to achieve a conviction. For example, it is not uncommon for someone that was in your car a few days or weeks ago to have put the drugs under the passenger seat of your car without your knowledge. In this scenario, we can request fingerprinting to be conducted, which may prove your innocence or show reasonable doubt.
Michael S. Brown, Esquire has been an attorney in the Orlando area for over 13 years. He was a prosecutor for over 5 years with the State Attorney’s Office in Orange and Osceola County. There, he handled misdemeanor cases, juvenile cases, felony cases, felony violations of probation, and litigated over 20 jury trials.
Mr. Brown left the State Attorney’s Office to become a civil litigator in the areas of foreclosure, breaches of contract, and insurance defense. He has practiced in Courts throughout the State.
Mr. Brown is admitted to practice in every Court in the State of Florida. He is a member of the Florida Bar and all 3 federal courts in Florida.