Contact Our Jersey City Office To Discuss Your Cocaine Possession Charge In North Bergen With A Former County Drug Prosecutor
The rise in cocaine usage hasn’t gone unnoticed by the police in the Township of North Bergen. In fact, law enforcement has committed substantial resources to curtail cocaine possession and distribution throughout Hudson County. They take the threat from this Schedule II controlled dangerous substance (“CDS”) very serious and aggressively prosecute those who illegally possess the drug. You need to invest commensurate attention if you have been charged with cocaine possession given that a conviction will result in the possibility of years in prison, thousands in fines and a felony criminal record. It takes a New Jersey criminal lawyer with substantial experience representing clients arrested for cocaine possession to escape a conviction.
We are the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall, a team of accomplished defense attorneys with qualifications that a truly rare. Our firm can offer you:
- More than 200 years of combined experience defending Hudson County cocaine possession charges including those arising in North Bergen
- 10 lawyers that specialize exclusively in criminal defense
- Former county prosecutors that have directed the Drug Task Force, Major Crimes, Juvenile Unit and even an entire Trial Division
- Certified criminal trial attorneys on staff
- A long track record of success in representing clients arrested and charged with possession of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute and conspiracy involving the drug/cds
Call us now at (201) 309-0500 or at any time of the day or night for a free initial consultation with a defense lawyer who possesses the know-how to help you win your case.
Cocaine Possession Offense in North Bergen
A cocaine possession charge arises out of N.J.S.A. 2C:35-10 as purposely or knowingly possessing or obtaining cocaine. The task of proving that you possessed cocaine has been made easier for police and prosecutors through constructive possession.
Constructive possession permits police to charge you with violating N.J.S.A. 2C:35-10 even if cocaine was not on your person. A common scenario for constructive possession arises when police search a motor vehicle and discover cocaine but cannot determine which of the occupants of the vehicle had actual possession of it. The law allows police to charge everyone in the vehicle with cocaine possession when there is evidence proving the individuals had knowledge of the presence of cocaine and intended to take control of it.
Our aggressive defense strategies make effective use of all legal defenses identified through our investigation of the facts surrounding your arrest. We scrutinize the search and seizure practices used by police in gathering evidence to ensure your constitutionally protected rights were not violated. If we identify improprieties in the gathering of evidence, including the methods used by police to get incriminating statements from you, we use motions to suppress the evidence to prevent it from being used by the prosecution to prove the accusations against you.
North Bergen Cocaine Possession Penalties
Everything we do in defending you against a New Jersey cocaine possession offense has as its goal avoiding the harsh penalties and consequences of a conviction. Cocaine possession is an indictable crime of the third degree when the amount of cocaine in your possession was a half an ounce or less. Even that small quantity of cocaine could cause a Hudson County Superior Court judge to incarcerate you for up to five years in a state prison and impose a fine of as much as $35,000. You will also have your driver’s license suspended for 6-24 months. Additional penalties may be imposed for possession of cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school.
Avoiding a conviction may not mean going to trial and being acquitted by a judge or jury. Depending upon the facts of the case and your prior criminal record, our North Bergen criminal defense lawyers will explore diversion programs like Pretrial Intervention and Drug Court that could allow you to avoid a criminal record and the penalties associated with a conviction.
North Bergen Cocaine Possession Defense Attorney
An accomplished lawyer at the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall is ready to conduct a detailed review of the circumstances that led to your arrest so that the best course of action for avoiding a conviction can be formulated. Because we see our role as criminal defense lawyers as including doing our best to prevent you from having problems in the future, if you suffer from cocaine addiction, we will assist in finding a substance abuse program for you. Contact our Jersey City Office at (201) 309-0500 for a free consultation with one of our defense attorneys so that you know your options for securing pretrial release, overcoming a detention hearing or any other aspect of your possession case.
