A person might be accused of a drug violation in California in a number of different ways, including simple possession, manufacturing, and possession with intent to distribute. The bulk of drug charges simply include having drugs in your possession, whether they are unlawfully used prescription medications or street drugs.
Most of the time, the amount of drugs a person has is small and is generally for their own personal use solely. In these circumstances, it may be possible to raise factual and legal defenses against the allegations and ultimately succeed in getting a not guilty finding at trial or at least having the charges reduced or removed. Keep reading to learn more about your defense options and then contact Chambers Law Firm at 714-760-4088 to request a free legal consultation.
An Attorney Can Help You Fight These Charges
A knowledgeable drug defense attorney will thoroughly investigate a drug offense, reviewing every detail of the police report to look for any indication that the police may have made a mistake or for information that demonstrates that you are not actually responsible for any crime. Depending on the particulars of your case, there can be tactics that can assist your lawyer in contesting the evidence the state will use against you or in making an effort to have the charges dropped due to legal infractions.
For example, if the narcotics were illegally obtained by the authorities, the evidence in drug cases – the drugs themselves — must be suppressed or excluded from court proceedings. You have the right to be free from arbitrary searches and seizures under the constitutions of the United States and California.
Your drug defense attorney could be able to utilize the fact that the police violated this right by illegally searching you, your home, or your car to get the evidence suppressed. Your attorney will need to thoroughly analyze the police report and any audio or video recordings of the incident in order to evaluate whether or not it was legally warranted because the law on searches and seizures can be intricate.
Keep in mind that there are several situations where a warrant is not necessary, as when the narcotics were in plain sight or when you gave your agreement to the search.
You Might Have a Factual Defense to Drug Charges
In addition, there may be factual defenses to drug allegations. Maybe someone else threw the narcotics on the floor of the car, like another passenger, and they genuinely belonged to someone else. Alternatively, it’s possible that the crime lab analyzed the “drugs” incorrectly, and a later analysis by a different lab revealed that the “drugs” that were taken from you were in fact not drugs at all.
It could be that the drugs were planted on you by the police. A skilled drug defense attorney can find out whether this particular officer has a history of drug-planting suspects, and possibly make an argument that they did so in this case as well, even though this can be difficult to establish.
Contact a Criminal Defense Attorney Today
In the end, there are various ways to challenge drug accusations in California, especially with the assistance of a knowledgeable drug defense attorney. Chambers Law Firm provides top-notch legal representation to anyone charged with drug possession, manufacturing, possession with intent to distribute, or any other drug-related offense.
To arrange a free initial consultation, get in touch with our office at 714-760-4088 or dchambers@clfca.com right now. We will vigorously defend you against all criminal allegations and support you at every turn of the legal process.
