Livonia Drug Crime Lawyers

While politicians debate the ethics and utility of charging otherwise law-abiding citizens with drug crimes, the fact remains that possession of certain substances is still illegal. If you are caught with drugs in the state of Michigan, you will likely be charged with a crime. If you are convicted, the crime will remain on your criminal record and will be easily accessed by future employers, potential landlords, and others with a vested interest in uncovering your criminal record. The good news is that there may be a way to prevent the charge from appearing on your criminal record even if you admit wrongdoing. The Livonia drug crime lawyers at The Law Offices of Bradley J. Friedman can help.

Different Types of Drug Crimes

There are three main categories of drug crime:

1. Possession,
2. Manufacture, and
3. Distribution.

Additionally, drugs are usually categorized by the degree of the threat they pose to the user or the general public. Methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine are usually considered the “worst” and thus the penalties for manufacture and distribution are the highest.

How Serious Are Drug Crimes?

Drug crimes are serious. They can be prosecuted at both the state and federal level when trafficking or manufacture is involved. Federal crimes have mandatory minimum sentences and are prosecuted by agencies such as the DEA and FBI. There are federal prosecutors who handle these cases and they are prosecuted in federal courts. Additionally, there may be mandatory minimum sentences involved. 

Defenses to Drug Crimes

If you have been charged with a drug crime, you will need a defense to the charges. Valid legal defenses include:

• Not my drugs: You can say the drugs belonged to someone else and you were not aware of them;

• There were no drugs: You can say that there were never any drugs which would force the prosecution to produce them as proof during trial;

• The drugs were planted: You can claim the police officers planted the evidence in order to frame you; and

• The substance was not an illegal drug: You can claim that the substance in question was mistaken for an illegal drug and the prosecution will need to prove (via crime lab analysis) that the substance is what they say it is.

Lastly, you can say that the search conducted to obtain the drugs was unlawful and that the police violated your Fourth Amendment rights by conducting the search. In that case, any evidence obtained in the search would not be admissible.

Talk to a Livonia Drug Crime Lawyers

If you have been charged with a drug crime in Michigan, do not leave anything to chance. Contact the drug crimes attorneys at The Law Offices of Bradley J. Friedman who understand how drug crimes are prosecuted and can force the prosecution to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.