Virginia Federal Drug Trafficking Lawyer

Because these charges come with heavy consequences, anyone charged with federal drug trafficking should retain the services of an experienced federally barred attorney. Federal attorneys are more familiar with how the federal government prosecutes these charges, as well as the United States Code, than attorneys that only have experience defending clients against charges at the state level. A Virginia federal drug trafficking lawyer with experience can help a client construct and build a strong and cohesive defense. In addition, they will walk their client through the court process and guide them through their next steps.

Drug Trafficking Under Federal Law

Title 21 of the United States Code has several different options for people who are charged with trafficking. The most common among them is Section 841, which deals specifically with the manufacture or distribution of drugs.

Endangering people by transporting dangerous controlled substances is also absolutely illegal under federal law and can add to potential penalties if convicted.

Federal Prosecution

Prosecution for a federal drug trafficking charge in Virginia depends on the specific circumstances and nuances of each case. If you’re charged with a group of other people and you’re considered to be the low man on the totem pole, it’s very likely the Government’s going to come to you and offer some kind of sentencing aid or reduction in exchange for your cooperation against the bigger people that you’re charged with. However, if the Government believes that you’re the top dog in that group, you need to be very concerned because they will try to get those below you to turn on you and to offer evidence against you, if you choose to take your case to trial. Because the federal government pursues these charges so vigorously, It becomes all the more important to have a Virginia federal drug trafficking lawyer by your side to guide you through the process.

Federal Enforcement

Federal law enforcement takes a multi-layered approach to drug trafficking. First of all, they attempt to reduce demand by arresting people who are in possession of drugs. These are typically people who are addicted to controlled substances that need help. In many cases, they’ll be eligible for treatment programs under federal court supervision. They go after low-level dealers or street dealers to reduce supply. And when they arrest those people, they try to go up the food chain to try to get the bigger sources. The thing that the federal government is most interested in finding are the biggest sources for drugs. They want to convert low-level arrests into big level arrests. By doing so, they feel they are winning the war on drugs.

Consult a Virginia Federal Drug Trafficking Attorney

The first thing you need to be aware of is that these are extraordinarily serious charges, many of which contain mandatory minimum prison time. The second thing you need to know is that very often people will be charged with multiple offenses that can include conspiracy charges with other people. The majority of these kinds of cases involve multiple defendants and the reason for that is because they like to charge these conspiracies as well. And if the authorities can get multiple people involved in a prosecution, they try to flip those people against other defendants. The third thing that you need to know is that drug trafficking charges in federal courts are very complex and a Virginia federal drug trafficking attorney is very beneficial in a defense.