Cocaine Possession Attorney
Possession of cocaine, no matter what amount, is a felony and has serious consequences. Our Los Angeles criminal lawyers have handled thousands of drug crimes including cocaine charges. We have the experience and the skill to effectively represent you if you are facing a possession of cocaine charge.
Depending on the amount, possession of cocaine can result in state prison for 2-4 years. If the purpose of possession was to distribute, then one may face 3-9 years in state prison. This is why you must contact our law firm to have the charges reduced or dismissed altogether.
One it comes to cocaine possession, for at least the last twenty-five years that I've been practicing, it's a straight felony — meaning it cannot be charged as a misdemeanor. So, a lot of people have taken felony conviction or possession and you can now get that reduced down to a misdemeanor. Possession of cocaine can now be reduced to a misdemeanor.
If your selling cocaine that's a different story. That cannot be reduced to a misdemeanor, and obviously you would have to either get the mater expunged if you didn't' serve any prison time and successfully completed your probation or handle it some other way.
But that can be a very difficult thing for people because once you get that felony conviction on your record you put yourself in a position where you start to lose rights — You can't vote; you can't own use or possess a gun, ammunition, bullets 00 and obviously people look down on you because you have a felony conviction on your record.
So, if you've got a cocaine possession as a felony, you can now hire an attorney — at least that's the way I would do it and let the attorney get the matter reduced down to a misdemeanor and possibly expunged from your record.
Drug Program Option
There are some solutions to dealing with a possession of cocaine charge that you might currently have pending against you. One of the solutions is that you get an attorney and let the attorney help you get into some sort of a drug program that can get the conviction off your record. That's crucial if you can make that happen. You put yourself in a very good position related to a possession of cocaine charge.
So, there's a number of different things you can do to put yourself in a good position — save your criminal record basically if you're charged with possession of cocaine in Los Angeles. There's also what's called deferred entry of judgement which basically means the prosecutors are trying to help you get treatment for a cocaine addiction and if you get treatment and do everything you're supposed to after approximately eighteen months — you're able to get the matter dismissed off your record. That's usually for someone who's a casual drug user.
California Proposition 36
If on the other hand, you have a serious addiction, there's something called California Proposition 36. That's much more labor intensive. You're going to have to do a program and they're going to evaluate you and determine whether your eligible and suitable to get Proposition 36.
If you are, they will determine your level of addiction and what makes sense to you. Is it an out-patient program? Is it an in-patient program? That's what they're going to be looking at. Once you complete everything, assuming you can do it, then you put yourself in a position to get a dismissal.
So, there are a lot of things that can be done in today's society related to possession of cocaine or any drug. The key is having the right attitude about taking positive steps in your life and getting the right attorney to be able to execute a plan that will get you out of the criminal justice system as fast as possible and protect your record.
If you are facing these charges in Federal Court, there is a difference between the possession of crack cocaine and the possession of powder cocaine and the penalties are more severe. You may face 5-40 years in prison depending on surrounding circumstances like whether there was an injury or death.
Legal Penalties
If you have a prior conviction for a felony drug offense that has not been completed, you will be sent to prison for 10 years to life and if death or serious injury resulted from the cocaine use and if you have a prior conviction, you will be sent to prison for life and/or be required to pay a fine of up to $4 million. Get help from our office can be reached at (213) 542-0979.
Penalties for possession of more than 5 kg of cocaine or a substance containing coca leaves are even harsher and result in double the prison sentences and fines. Our defense lawyers do everything we can to get the best results possible. We fight aggressively and persistently. Our legal strategy and skill qualify us to competently and effectively represent you if you are facing cocaine charges.
We understand the stress you may be under and the seriousness of these charges. That is why we do everything we can to get you the most favorable results. Our Los Angeles County Possession of Cocaine Lawyers can be reached at (213) 542-0979.
