Arlington Drug Crime Lawyer

An Arlington drug charge attorney from the Law Offices of Jeff C. Kennedy can help you avoid conviction for a drug offense. Call us today to schedule your free case evaluation.

When you’re facing drug charges, the situation is serious to you—after all, your freedom and future are on the line. Whether your charge is a misdemeanor or a felony, you may benefit from a drug charge attorney who can handle all types of drug cases, including very complex ones.

What harm can a conviction do to your life? For starters, you’ll be sentenced to either jail or prison time, depending on the offense—even minor drug charges can result in serious confinement. You’ll also be given fines and a big black mark on your criminal record, making it impossible for you to ever put your mistake behind you.

You want to know that your attorney can find the holes in the prosecutor’s case to negotiate a better deal for you, get the prosecution to dismiss the charges entirely, or convince a jury to find you innocent. Hiring an Arlington drug crime lawyer from our firm may be the way to get past this experience without your life being reduced to rubble.

Examples of Drug Crimes in Arlington

Drug crimes can cover a wide array of types of offenses, from small amounts of drugs in your possession all the way to large-scale delivery and manufacturing of narcotics. If you’ve been charged with any Arlington drug offense, big or small, we can help.

Here’s a look at a few different kinds of drug crimes you could be facing in Texas:

• Manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance
• Possession of a controlled substance
• Delivery of marijuana
• Possession of marijuana
• Possession of drug paraphernalia
• Possession or transport of certain chemicals with intent to manufacture a controlled substance

Legal Penalties for Crimes Involving Drugs

The legal punishments for Arlington drug convictions are wide-ranging. Your penalty could increase based on a number of factors, including the following:

• The amount of the substance you allegedly possessed
• Whether a child was present during the manufacturing of the controlled substance
• Whether the drugs were sold or delivered to children
• Whether you allegedly used a child in the commission of a drug offense
• Possession for use or possession for sale

Texas uses “schedules” to classify controlled substances into different groups. Groups 1, 1-A, 2, and 2-A, are considered more serious, while groups 3 and 4 are taken less seriously. Below is a simple breakdown of a few drug offenses and the penalties associated with them.

Manufacture or Delivery of a Controlled Substance

Groups 1, 1-A, and 2 are charged, at minimum, as state jail felonies. The charge can go up to a first-degree felony if you’re caught manufacturing or delivering more than 400 grams. Penalties could include time in state jail all the way to life in prison, as well as fines.

Groups 3 and 4 can be charged as state jail felonies if you’re manufacturing or delivering less than twenty-eight grams. Manufacture or delivery of more than twenty-eight grams can get you charged with a more serious felony.

Possession of a Controlled Substance

Groups 1, 1-A, and 2 are charged, at minimum, as state jail felonies. Again, the level of felony you’re charged with could increase if you’re caught in possession of more than 400 grams. Your penalties could range from state jail to life imprisonment and large fines.

Groups 3 and 4 are state jail felonies if you’re in possession of less than twenty-eight grams. Possession of more than twenty-eight grams can increase your charge to a felony, with penalties ranging between a few years in prison to life in prison, in addition to fines.

Delivery and Possession of Marijuana

If you’re caught in possession of less than four ounces of marijuana, you can be charged with a misdemeanor. Anything over four ounces will be charged as a felony. The level of felony depends on the amount you’re in possession of, and penalties range between state jail and life imprisonment, as well as fines.

If you’re caught delivering marijuana, less than one-quarter of an ounce is charged as a misdemeanor, and more than one-quarter ounce but less than five pounds is a state jail felony. Anything over five pounds is charged as a felony, and the level and term of imprisonment depends on the amount of marijuana you’re accused of delivering.

How Your Arlington Drug Offense Attorney Could Defend You

Just because you’re found near some drugs doesn’t mean the drugs were yours. There are a number of situations in which you could be charged with a drug offense when you aren’t actually guilty of the crime.

For example: You walked into your friend’s house and sat down on the sofa, intending to watch a movie with your buddy. Suddenly, the police show up and search the house. Under the couch cushion you were sitting on, your friend had hidden some marijuana. The police arrest you and claim the drugs were yours because you were sitting there.

Should you simply plead guilty because you were in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or should you fight the charge? You shouldn’t be punished for an offense you didn’t commit, but pleading guilty will all but ensure that will happen.

Here are a few common defenses attorneys use against drug charges in Arlington:

• Unlawful search and seizure
• Unwitting possession
• Drugs belonging to someone else
• Mistakes on the part of the crime lab
• Entrapment
• Planted drugs

The Importance of Fighting a Drug Conviction in Arlington

Let’s be honest—Texas is very strict on drug crimes. The legal consequences by themselves would seem like enough punishment for a drug conviction; however, that’s not the only reason to fight against an Arlington drug charge with everything you’ve got.

Once you’ve completed your jail or prison term and paid the fine associated with your offense, you may think the crime is in the past, but a conviction never actually goes away. You will continue to be affected for years, if not forever.

You may always struggle to find good jobs, you won’t qualify for certain government programs or housing opportunities, and many schools won’t allow felons. You may lose certain rights, such as the right to bear arms and the right to vote, and you may suffer from ridicule and embarrassment anytime someone finds out about your offense.

One of the only ways to avoid all of these lifelong hardships is to not be convicted for a drug offense in the first place. You can do that by hiring an Arlington drug offense attorney who knows how to find the weak point in the prosecutor’s case against you and get your charges dropped, reduced, or dismissed.

Reach Out to an Arlington Drug Crime Attorney

It doesn’t matter whether you’ve been charged with a misdemeanor involving marijuana or a felony like selling or distributing heroin—we work to protect the rights of our clients, regardless of the seriousness of the crimes they’re accused of.

We will investigate anything from the simplest drug case to the most complex, all the while fighting to give you the very best defense possible.

Call an Arlington drug crime lawyer with the Law Offices of Jeff C. Kennedy. We will review your case for free if you call 817-605-1010 or enter your information into the online contact form at the bottom of this page.