Los Angeles Federal Drug Crimes Attorney
The Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 classifies narcotics, marijuana and other drugs into five Schedules. It establishes requirements relating to drug manufacturing and
drug distribution. This law also defines penalties for violations of the Act, which depending on the type and quantity of the illegal drug involved, the criminal penalties can be severe and result in a lengthy sentence in a federal prison.
Types of Federal Drug Crimes
Federal drug crime laws relate to the possession, sale, distribution, manufacturing, trafficking, and cultivation of mant different forms of controlled substances. The type of drugs included under federal laws include marijuana,
methamphetamine, heroin,
cocaine, and various types of prescription drugs that includes Oxycodone, Vicodin, and many more. Some of the type of drug crimes covered under the Controlled Substances Act include:
- Drug Trafficking - the manufacturing, distribution or possession with the intent to distribute the illegal narcotics. Usually involves drug transportation over state lines.
- Drug Manufacturing - the operating of a place for the purpose of manufacturing or distribution of illegal narcotics. Also includes endangering human life while doing so.
- Drug Conspiracy - the attempt to promote and facilitate manufacturing, distribution, or importation of illegal narcotics.
- Criminal Enterprise Drug Crimes - the trafficking of illegal narcotices by an individual in concert with 5 or more other people.
- Protected Location Drug Offenses - the distribution of illegal narcotics to persons under 21, within a school zone or playground.
Penalties for Federal Drug Crimes
For many types of federal drug crimes, there are mandatory sentences. This means that the judge is not afforded any discretion in ordering a lighter sentence. Federal drug laws have specific minimum and maximum terms of confinement in a federal prison. These terms are based on the type and quantity of the drug involved. Under Federal Sentencing Guidlines, these factors are considered along with others such as whether the
federal drug offense involved an injury to another person, whether a weapon was used, and the defendant's criminal history. If the federal drug crime occurred within a school zone or near a playground, the penalties can be enhanced.
Contact a Federal Drug Crime Lawyer
If you are facing federal drug crime criminal charges in Los Angeles or anywhere in the State of California, you will need to consult with an experienced federal criminal defense attorney at Cron, Israels & Stark for advice on the law and how to proceed.
Drug crimes can be prosecuted under federal law, state law or even both. If you are convicted, federal drug crimes usually carry much harsher penalties. Therefore, it is very important that you obtain a lawyer who has experienced with both federal and state criminal drug law. If you are facing a federal or state drug crime charge, a knowledgeable Los Angeles criminal defense attorney at our firm can clearly explain the intricacies of both systems and aggressively represent your interests.
As federal drug crime defense attorneys, Steve Cron and Philip Israels will work to get the federal drug crime charges against our client dismissed or reduced. If your federal drug crime charges are just at the investigative stage or under pre-trial negotiations with the United States Attorney's Office, we will seize every opportunity to discover any weakness in the government's case.
In prior federal drug crime cases, we have aggressively fought the admissibility of the government's evidence, drug test accuracy results, and illegal searches and seizures. If you are now under investigation or have already been indicted for a federal drug crime, contact our experienced Los Angeles federal drug crime lawyers for a free and confidential consultation about your criminal defense needs.