Los Angeles is a major hub for drug trafficking, with a significant volume of drugs moving in and out. The city's dense population and the allure of its beauty make it a prime location for such activities.
It's such a beautiful area, and there's a lot of drug use, so you've got people bringing in drugs. There's a lot of money involved. California Health and Safety Code 11352 defines the crime of drug trafficking.
So, suppose you or a loved one has been swept up in the net of a drug trafficking prosecutor. In that case, the police are involved, whether at the local level with the LAPD or Sheriffs or the federal level with the FBI, Homeland Security, Secret Service, or Drug Enforcement Agents.
When facing drug trafficking charges in Los Angeles or anywhere in the nation, it's crucial to secure the services of an experienced attorney. The seriousness of these cases cannot be overstated, and the right legal representation can make all the difference.
Drug Trafficking is the Business of Moving Drugs
Drug trafficking is kind of an umbrella term in Los Angeles. It has to do with the business of moving drugs — whether it be a mule who's just moving it in a car and gets caught on a wiretap by the feds or the state or whether it be the supplier.
The person who's getting the drugs from inside the United States somewhere from inside Los Angeles, California, or even from outside the country.
Many drug trafficking cases have international roots, with drugs often originating from countries like Costa Rica, Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico. The global nature of this crime underscores its severity.
It's being grown somewhere, then trucked to another location, and ultimately, it comes into the United States. Somebody gets their hands on it, and they get charged with drug trafficking.
Penalties for Drug Trafficking
Another little angle is selling drugs. Who are the people who are selling the drugs? Making money on the street? That's who the government is going to go after.
That's who the police and prosecutors go after, and that's who the judges in Los Angeles County are going to punish, and there are huge sentences on the line when it comes to a drug trafficking charge in Los Angeles County.
Sometimes, there are minimum sentences. Sometimes, there's enhancement for weight, meaning the amount of drugs that are involved, the type of drugs that are involved.
There are all sorts of different things to take into account when you're talking about these drug trafficking charges — whether you're on the low-end of it where the person's a user or just a typical street seller, or whether it's a scenario where somebody is making thousands of dollars because they're the supplier.
They're the big person that negotiates the drug trafficking sales, and they're trying to insulate themselves. In those cases, the prosecutors — and a lot of times even the police will try to get other lower-level people to give information on the higher-ups to try to get to the source of the drugs.
The people that are moving it — the people that are negotiating and the people that are making money — and the dangerous people that are using guns and threats to push drugs in Los Angeles.
The prosecutors are targeting these people. But first, they often target the lower-level people and then move on to the smaller-level people.
So, if you're involved in a drug trafficking case in Los Angeles, pick up the phone. Ask to speak to Ron Hedding. I've been doing this for 26 years. I've worked for the DA's office. I've worked for a judge and been a criminal defense attorney, handling drug trafficking cases in Los Angeles since 1994.
