Drug Transportation and Smuggling

Importing illegal drugs or ‘drug smuggling’ is a federal offense. Depending on the type of drug and the amount of narcotics that are being smuggled, the penalties can be extremely high. Under the federal legal system, importing drugs has its own sentencing guidelines which involve mandatory prison time. Under some circumstances, importing drugs can also be seen as an act of terrorism and can involve extra penalties.

Federal Penalties for Importing Drugs

The penalties for importing drugs depends on the type of drug being smuggled. Generally, more serious drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, LSD and PCP will lead to more serious charges. For small amounts of these narcotics, the minimum mandatory sentence is around 5 years for a first offense. The penalties get much more serious as the number of offenses increase and the federal courts use a ‘three strike rule’ for large amounts of smuggled narcotics. On the third offense, it is a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment.

The penalties are serious, and many offenses result in 10 or 20 year prison sentences. But there are also large fines to anyone convicted. The amount of fines depends on whether it is a single individual or an alleged ‘organized crime’ group. The fines start at $2 million and can go as high as $20 million. An experienced drug defense attorney will not only protect your liberty, but your assets as well.

Federal Drug Defense

If you are facing drug charges, then you need an attorney with experience defending Federal drug charges. The federal courts and the agencies that prosecute federal drug crimes, including the DEA and the FBI are extremely aggressive against drug imports. They have a strong impetus to lower the amount of drugs that are being imported to the U.S. every year. You can’t beat the DEA and the FBI with an attorney who does not have the time and experience that your case deserves. You need a team of experienced legal experts who will combine their knowledge to defend your rights.

Investigations

Any good criminal attorney will not just defend you in court; they will investigate the circumstances surrounding the charges to find evidence that will defend you against the allegations. Even experienced agents from high-profile agencies such as the DEA and the FBI will make mistakes, but it takes a highly experienced lawyer to know when they have crossed the line. Your attorney must discover every time these agents have violated your rights, and every time they have jumped to conclusions over weak evidence. By doing so, some of the most incriminating evidence can be suppressed or weakened, and your charges can be reduced or even dismissed. Many drug charges get dismissed before even going to trial because of simple rights violations.