Beating drug charges on your own can be tough. Getting convicted means hefty penalties and a mark on your record that could be used against you in the future. Our Dallas County drug lawyers have strategies for fighting drug charges, and once we hear the details of your case we can help you figure out what kind of approach to take. If there is a way to beat these charges stemming from a traffic stop, we will do our best to find it.
What Are the Potential Penalties for Drug Charges?
The punishments for a conviction can vary greatly depending on the nature of the drug charges against you. Even just the possession of marijuana can result in jail time and a fine of up to $1,000, and that’s just for someone who is being penalized for a first offense! If you have previous drug convictions, a high quantity of a drug, and something that is treated more harshly than marijuana, you could be looking at some serious penalties and a long prison sentence if convicted.
Can I Challenge the Stop That Resulted in Drug Charges?
This is why it is absolutely necessary to do everything that you can to fight these drug charges. One of the best ways of fighting charges stemming from a traffic stop is to challenge the stop itself. Cops need a valid reason to stop you and permission to search your vehicle. If the police violated your rights, that can help you fight these charges.
Cops cannot just pull over people because they feel like it. There must be a reason for a stop. If you weren’t speeding, driving erratically, or doing anything else that would arouse suspicion, they should not have a reason to pull you over. If we can show that this was a bad stop, then any evidence gained from it cannot be used against you.
How Else Can I Fight These Accusations?
Getting the stop and any associated evidence thrown out is great, but it’s not the only defensive strategy we have. It’s also possible to:
Challenge the search: Maybe there was a valid reason for the stop, but the search was bad. If the cops did not have a warrant or your express permission to search the car, that was a violation of your rights.
Claim it was not yours: Sometimes it’s possible to convince a jury that a drug found in the vehicle was not yours. This can be an effective defense if you were driving someone else’s car.
Claim you did not know you had it: You can also claim that you did not know a drug was in the car. You can argue that someone else might have brought it into the car without your knowledge.
Schedule Your Consultation
If you want to learn more about our services and what our seasoned defense attorneys can do for you, contact our law firm. We are ready to fight for you here at Iowa Defenders, PLLC, so schedule your consultation and get ready to defend yourself from these charges.