When should I contact a drug defense attorney or a drug crime lawyer?

There is a wide array of crimes set forth in the Indiana Criminal Code and the Federal Penal Code related to prescription and street drugs, such as selling, dealing in controlled substances or manufacturing street drugs. Most drug crimes result in a felony charge, with the severity of the felony dependent upon the classification of the drug (drug type), the quantity of the drugs involved (how much you had), and the circumstances of your case (what you were doing and if you have prior criminal convictions).

Drug crimes, like OWI/DUI, domestic violence, and gun crimes are those of great public awareness and appear to be given little tolerance by Indiana juries. Therefore, they are less likely to be resolved by a more favorable plea and have longer prison sentences associated with them. If you have been charged with a drug crime, or drug related offense, you should seriously consider consulting and retaining a drug defense lawyer to “unpack” all of the facts and potential defenses and strengths in your defense. This is critical to facilitate better plea negotiations or determination of a solid defense for a jury trial.

Upon hiring a drug defense attorney, he or she will analyze your case in detail. This includes reviewing charging information, types of physical evidence, deposing witnesses and the like for any and all possible defenses (negating an element of the crime or demonstrating it cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt) for a potential jury trial, represent you in court proceedings, and/or negotiate with the prosecuting attorney. In these cases, there are often search and seizure and suppression matters to consider, or alternative punishment for first-time offenders, such as rehab, community service, and the like to keep you out of jail.  All of these considerations are the work-life of criminal attorney—make a careful and informed selection as to your counsel.