California Federal Drug Crime Defense Lawyers

Federal Drug Charge

A federal drug charge is a serious offense and a person can be charged in both state and federal court for the same crime without the rule of double jeopardy being violated. Moreover, due to mandatory minimum penalties the punishment for a federal drug charge can be harsh. Federal judges do have some discretion but, more often than not, they adhered to the sentencing guidelines. The Law Offices of Lawrence Wolf, a Los Angeles criminal defense law firm, have a long and successful history of defending federal charges. When you are charged with a federal drug crime, there are several options that our law offices can exercise in minimizing your sentence or even having the charges dismissed completely. Your federal drug charge can be proactively and successfully addressed through our law offices.

A federal drug charges includes prosecution for the following:

• Possession of an illegal or controlled substance
• Distribution of an illegal or controlled substance
• Sale of an illegal or controlled substance
• Trafficking of an illegal or controlled substance
• Cultivation of an illegal or controlled substance
• Manufacturing of an illegal or controlled substance

Illegal substances include marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and other such drugs. Controlled substances include such drugs as oxycodone or vicodin, which are technically legal drugs but require prescriptions. They are also substances that are addictive and thus are strictly regulated by the federal government.

The federal government does not treat drug charges lightly. There are several penalty enhancements such as use of a weapon and involvement of a minor that can dramatically increase the sentence. In some cases, the sale or distribution of cocaine can include a life sentence. The death penalty is also an issue in federal drug crimes. In Furman v. Georgia, the mandatory death penalty was eradicated. But the federal court allows judges to choose the death penalty for a specific type of federal crime – trafficking. Trafficking essentially combines several types of federal drug charges such as sale, distribution and manufacturing. Due to the severe nature of trafficking the death penalty can be assigned to those who traffic in drugs otherwise known as drug ‘kingpins’. The fact that the death penalty can be assigned at the federal level to a severe drug crime is indicative of how seriously the federal government views drug crimes.

You can’t afford not to have excellent representation when facing a federal drug charge. The Law Offices of Lawrence Wolf can reduce sentencing and the very foundation of the government’s case by properly addressing evidentiary and statutory issues in your federal drug case. Contact our aggressive and knowledgeable California federal drug defense lawyers today for a free case evaluation and to learn more about how we can help defend your rights.