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Importance of Hiring an Attorney in DC Drug Cases

The importance of the experience presented by an attorney in drug cases is invaluable. These cases are often incredibly complex, and require the attention and strength of a knowledgeable lawyer. If you have found yourself facing a federal drug charge, it is important that you get in contact with an attorney as soon as possible.

An experienced drug lawyer can prepare a strong case then can help minimize any penalties associated with your charge. A DC drug attorney who has experience in handling these types of cases will much better understand the process, and that knowledge will likely have a positive effect on the outcome of the trial. It is incredibly important for an attorney to recognize all necessary steps that the case needs to take in order to produce favorable results.

Treatment of Federal Drug Cases

A good way to compare drug cases to other federal cases is to compare it between federal court and state court. Drug offenses are considered very serious under the federal sentencing guidelines. There are all types of statutory minimums for possessing certain amounts of narcotics. A person can receive up to a life sentence in situations where they have a certain amount of narcotics and up to two prior drug convictions. It is an extremely serious situation, where defendants are facing a lot of time in federal court.

Whereas these conditions apply in the District of Columbia and some of the surrounding jurisdictions, Maryland in particular, Virginia is another story. It is not uncommon for a person to get some type of split sentence, with a short period of incarceration and periods of supervised release even for multiple drug convictions. This is different from federal court, where people get substantial amounts of jail time.

That is one of the considerations that a defendant has to make when doing an assessment of the case. Are there avenues for the attorney to pursue in terms of defending it? If so, then the attorney will advise to go forward and take the case to trial. If there are no good avenues, then an individual has to decide the pros and cons of challenging the case versus working out the best deal possible, given the downside of losing a trial. Some of these cases could result in life without parole.

Importance of an Attorney

Contacting a DC attorney early on in the drug case process can ensure that the individual’s rights are protected the entire time. If the individual waits until after they have had an opportunity to meet with law enforcement, they may, without the advice of counsel, decide to waive their rights and give incriminating statements, which can never be taken back. These statements both can, and most likely will be used against them.

Some people make this mistake, thinking law enforcement will understand the story, and perhaps the case will go away. This is almost never the case. If law enforcement is holding an individual at the police station or the FBI Field Office, chances are they have already built a pretty good drug case against the individual. They are only looking for the individual to make statements to make their case even stronger. An individual has the right to remain silent under the Constitution, and a lawyer can advise an individual of these rights and other things so that an individual does not make a misstep.

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