Drug Crime Lawyers in New Jersey

How Our Drug Crime Attorneys Can Help You

In most drug cases, there are many opportunities for our attorneys to intervene on your behalf and fight to protect your rights. The earlier we can get involved in your case, the better chance you have for fighting the drug charges against you. For example, consider:

• Our quick-acting N.J. drug defense lawyer will immediately begin negotiating for your release at the lowest bail amount (or on your own recognizance).
• Our team will launch an independent investigation into the charges against you, going over any evidence the prosecution has and arguing for disputable evidence to be thrown out.
• Our lawyers leave no stone unturned in identifying and pointing out problems with the prosecution’s case. As former prosecutors ourselves, we recognize a weak case when we see one.
• We will take all your options into consideration, including arranging for admission to treatment programs, supervision, or conditional discharge.
• Our experienced drug crime attorneys may be able to negotiate to have the charges dismissed or reduced as part of a plea bargain.
• With decades of trial experience, our team will prepare a strong and persuasive case to present to a jury if a trial is necessary.
• In cases where conviction on some sort of drug charge is inevitable, our team will argue for a minimum sentence and request alternatives to jail time.

Schedule a free consultation with our N.J. drug defense attorneys today to learn how we can put our skills to work for you. Remember, an arrest is the beginning, not the end. There is hope if you have an experienced and dedicated criminal defense attorney on your side.

Key Defenses to Drug Charges

Prosecutors and police may act like you are facing an open-and-shut case, but that is rarely the truth. In fact, there are many reasons cases get thrown out, charges get reduced, and defendants are found not guilty.

Some of the common questions we explore when building a defense in drug crimes cases include:

• Were you subject to an illegal search and seizure to get the evidence that is being used against you?
• Was there probable cause for a search or traffic stop?
• Did the law enforcement officer read your Miranda rights as soon as you were arrested or whenever you did not feel like you were free to leave?
• Were the drugs really in your “possession”?
• If you are facing a charge of possession with intent to distribute, is the charge based on possession of drug paraphernalia, a large sum of cash, or a household scale? Should the charge of intent to distribute be reduced to simple possession?
• Did a police officer find drugs on you while patting you down for a weapon?
• Was any evidence obtained in an illegal manner, or were any procedural mistakes made in your case?
• Were you placed in a flawed lineup, or could you have been identified in another misleading way?
• If test results are being used against you, is there any evidence of problems with the lab equipment used to obtain those results?

As you can see, our experienced N.J. drug defense attorney will ask all the tough questions to poke as many holes in the prosecution’s case as possible. We believe that the burden is always on the prosecution to prove their case, and we intend to make their job extremely difficult.

Contact us today to schedule a free consultation with our team. We understand that for most of our clients, being arrested on drug charges comes as a shock. So we make ourselves available at night and on weekends if that’s when you need us.

Drug Crime Cases Our New Jersey Law Firm Handle

Over the course of our careers as prosecutors, public defenders, and now criminal defense lawyers, we have handled a wide range of drug cases. Some of the common types of cases our law firm takes include:

• Drug Possession
• Drug Distribution
• Use or Being Under the Influence of Drugs
• Drug Paraphernalia
• License Suspension for Drug Offenses
• Needle or Syringe Possession
• Possessing, Distributing, or Selling Drugs in a School Zone
• Booby Trapping & Fortifying Premises Used to Sell Drugs
• Failure to Make Lawful Disposition of Drugs
• Federal Drug Crimes
• Marijuana Possession
• Marijuana Possession of Less Than 50 Grams
• Cocaine Possession
• Heroin Possession
• Methamphetamine Offenses
• Ecstasy Offenses
• Imitation Drug Offenses
• Prescription Drug Offenses

No matter what type of drug charges you are facing, you should speak with our knowledgeable New Jersey drug crime attorney as soon as possible to start discussing your options for building a strong defense.

Understanding Drug Charge Penalties in New Jersey

Penalties for drug crimes can be extremely harsh in New Jersey, and they vary depending on what degree of the crime you are charged with. For example:

• A person convicted of a crime of the first degree may face 10 to 20 years in federal prison and be ordered to pay a fine of up to $200,000.
• A person convicted of a crime of the second degree may face 5 to 10 years in prison and be ordered to pay a fine of up to $150,000.
• A person convicted of a crime of the second degree may face 3 to 5 years in prison and be ordered to pay a fine of up to $15,000.
• A person convicted of a crime of the fourth degree may face up to 18 months in prison and be ordered to pay a fine of up to $10,000.
• A person convicted of a disorderly person offense may be ordered to pay a fine of up to $1,000.
• A person convicted of a petty disorderly person offense may be ordered to pay a fine of up to $500.

As you can see, the punishments for a first-degree crime versus a petty disorderly person’s offense vary greatly. So it is important that you have a seasoned N.J. drug crime attorney on your side who understands what is at stake and will fight for the best possible outcome in your case.

How New Jersey Classifies Controlled Dangerous Substances

New Jersey law classifies certain drugs as “controlled dangerous substances,” or CDS, when they have the potential for abuse. These drugs are highly regulated by the state, and penalties for illegal possession or distribution can be severe. For your understanding, here is a general description of the schedules of drugs:

Schedule I Controlled Dangerous Substances have:

• A high potential for abuse
• No accepted medical use in treatment in the United States

Examples of Schedule I drugs under N.J. law include marijuana and synthetic marijuana, hash, heroin, LSD or acid, MDMA, psilocybin mushrooms, etc.

Schedule II Controlled Dangerous Substances have:

• A high potential for abuse
• Currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States or currently accepted medical use with severe restrictions
• The potential for abuse to lead to severe psychic or physical dependence

Examples of Schedule II drugs under N.J. law include methadone, oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, morphine, codeine, Adderall, Ritalin, cocaine, methamphetamine, etc.

Schedule III Controlled Dangerous Substances have:

• Potential for abuse less than the substances listed in Schedules I and II
• Currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States
• The potential for abuse to lead to moderate or low physical dependence or high psychological dependence

Examples of Schedule III drugs under N.J. law include anabolic steroids, ketamine, Tylenol with Codeine, testosterone, etc.

Schedule IV Controlled Dangerous Substances have:

• Low potential for abuse relative to the substances listed in Schedule III
• Currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States
• The potential to lead to limited physical dependence or psychological dependence relative to the substances listed in Schedule III

Examples of Schedule IV drugs under N.J. law include alprazolam (Xanax), clonazepam (Klonopin), diazepam (Valium), Darvocet (propoxyphene and acetaminophen), zolpidem (Ambien), etc.

Schedule V Controlled Dangerous Substances have:

• Low potential for abuse relative to the substances listed in Schedule IV
• Currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States
• Limited physical dependence or psychological dependence liability relative to the substances listed in Schedule IV

Examples of Schedule V drugs under N.J. law include low doses of codeine, dihydrocodeine, ethylmorphine, diphenoxylate, opium, etc.

Comprehensive Guide to New Jersey's Drug Laws

We understand that many of the clients we work with want to understand the law and do some research into the charges they are facing. Below are some resources to help you begin your research.

• Definitions of Key Terms under New Jersey Drug Laws
• N.J.S.A. 2C:35-10. Possession of Controlled Dangerous Substance (“CDS”)
• N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5. Manufacture or Distribution of Controlled Dangerous Substances (“CDS”)
• N.J.S.A. 2C:35-7. Distribution or Possession of Controlled Dangerous Substances in a School Zone
• N.J.S.A. 2C:35-7.1. Sell or Distribute in Public Park or Housing Project
• J.S.A. 2C:43-3. Fines for Drug & Controlled Dangerous Substance (“CDS”) Offenses
• N.J.S.A. 2C:35-4.1. Booby Traps and Fortification of Premises Used to Distribute CDS
• N.J.S.A. 2C:35-3. Leader of a Narcotics Trafficking Network

Consult with Our Leading New Jersey Drug Defense Lawyer Today for Free

Don’t put your future at risk by hiring an inexperienced attorney who doesn’t have the skills or the resources to see your case through to a jury verdict, if that’s what is necessary. Schedule a free consultation with our respected New Jersey drug crime lawyer today to learn how we can make a difference in your case.