Baltimore Drug Lawyer
Being arrested and charged with a crime is a frightening experience, but when drugs are involved in the charges, the danger escalates. A Baltimore drug lawyer knows just how seriously the state of Maryland takes drug crime, imposing severe penalties even for first offense misdemeanors. If you are in trouble with police for drug possession, DWI, distribution, manufacture, or possession of paraphernalia, don’t waste time. Call us for a consultation with an experienced criminal attorney and get your defense started right away.
Drugs & Law Enforcement
As the increasing number of national and local anti-drug campaigns illustrate, federal and state governments have targeted drug use as one of their priorities. Along with prevention efforts, most states choose severe criminal penalties as one of their main weapons in the “war on drugs.” Maryland is no exception to this rule, and an arrest on drug charges of any kind puts you in serious danger of spending time in jail and/or paying high fines.
The busy urban centers of Baltimore and Washington, D.C. see plenty of drug use and trade. Transportation of drugs along the highway between Baltimore and Washington is a problem, as is the smuggling of drugs through ocean ports. In their opposition to these threats, police frequently make mistakes such as:
- Gathering up innocent people at a party where only a few people are using drugs
- Inflating charges from simple possession to intent to distribute
- Stopping vehicles on the road without sufficient reason to do so
- Tricking people into getting involved in “sting” operations and then arresting them
A Baltimore drug attorney can help you protect your rights.
What to Do After a Drug Arrest or Charge?
As you wait for your trial, what should your next steps be? The most important task is to sit down with a Baltimore city drugs attorney and tell him your story in detail. Whether you were caught with drugs in your pocket or were driving a friend’s car that you did not know contained drugs, it will take an attorney’s legal experience and knowledge to present the truth to the court. Here are a few other situations that illustrate how little it takes to be charged with a major drug offense:
- A college student lives in Baltimore with three roommates. One roommate is caught with drugs, and police search the house. When more drugs are found in the house’s communal area, the innocent student is charged with possession.
- Someone who uses drugs recreationally is taking care of drugs belonging to a friend as well. When he is arrested, police assume that he intends to sell the drugs because of the large quantity.
- Someone transporting marijuana is driving a friend’s car. At a traffic stop, police discover a handgun in the glove box of the car. The driver faces a minimum five-year prison sentence if convicted of trafficking drugs with a firearm.
Serious Consequences for Drug Charges
The circumstances surrounding a drug arrest can greatly increase the penalties of a conviction. Without the help of a drugs attorney in Baltimore, it is very possible to be convicted of a crime when you were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. “Intent” crimes are particularly tricky, because the prosecutor only has to show that you were planning to sell or distribute drugs in your possession. Drug paraphernalia laws are similar: you could be sentenced for having drug-related items in your possession, even if no drugs were present at all.
Spending months or years in prison is not even the end of the story. Your chance of obtaining employment will be close to zero for quite a few years, and you may lose your driver’s license if convicted of DWI. Your criminal record will follow you, raising penalties dramatically for any future offenses. Don’t let these consequences ruin your future—especially if you did nothing wrong.
Speak To a Baltimore Drug Lawyer Today
No matter how desperate you think your situation is, call us to talk about it. A Baltimore drug lawyer will sit down with you, hear you out, and tell you what your chances are. There are probably details of your case that are very important that you are not aware of. These details could convince a prosecutor to reduce the charges against you or drop them totally. Call for a free consultation.