Drug charges
Drug charges start with a search
Before anything else, I want to know how the police came to find what they found. That answer decides more drug cases than the drugs do.
A stop with no good reason, a search you never agreed to, a warrant that doesn't say what it should: any of these can keep the evidence out of court. Without the evidence, there's often no case left.
If the search holds up, there are still choices. Treatment programs, a plea to a lesser charge, or a dismissal once conditions are met. I'll lay them out next to each other so you can choose.
What I handle
Possession
Possession with intent to distribute
Paraphernalia
Charges from a car search or a home warrant
What I look at
Four questions I ask about every search
Each one is a chance to keep evidence out of the case.
- 01
Step 1: Why were you stopped?
Police need a reason to pull a car over or hold someone on the street. A vague one can sink the stop.
- 02
Step 2: Did you agree to the search?
Consent has to be real. Saying nothing, or being told you had no choice, isn't agreeing.
- 03
Step 3: Was there a warrant?
If so, I read what it allowed and compare it with where officers actually looked.
- 04
Step 4: Whose was it?
Being near drugs, in a shared car or apartment, isn't the same as possessing them.
Say nothing more about the search until we talk
Call or text and I'll tell you what I need to see first.