In 2018, one Central Florida drug bust resulted in the arrest of 10 individuals for drug trafficking. If you’re charged with drug trafficking in Orlando, you have the odds stacked against you. The courts tend to have harsh penalties for those found guilty of trafficking. However, you may be able to overcome your charges. By working with an experienced attorney, you can work towards beating your charges. Learn more about the local laws regarding trafficking and find out what penalties you could face.
What Are the Different Types of Drug Trafficking?
Every drug is dealt with differently in Florida. For instance, trafficking cannabis and trafficking cocaine are two separate offenses. If you’re charged with trafficking cannabis, you’re accused of selling, making, delivering, buying, or simply possessing 25 pounds of cannabis or 300 plants. The crime is a first-degree felony.
Meanwhile trafficking cocaine is an offense defined by selling, buying, making, or delivering 28 grams or more of cocaine or any mixture that contains cocaine. If you have between 28 grams and 150 kilograms of the drug, you’re guilty of a first-degree felony. With cocaine, the weight alone is considered prima facia evidence that you were intending to traffic it, so you can be charged even if you were not directly caught committing one of the above-described activities.
Whatever drug you’ve been found with, the penalty will be severe. Heroin, meth, cocaine, and fentanyl are all illegal drugs. If you have those drugs in your possession in a large quantity, the police will believe you intended to sell them. Typically, it doesn’t matter if you had no intention of selling the drugs. The large quantity gives the appearance that you were going to sell them, which could be enough for a conviction.
The Penalties for Drug Trafficking
Most drug trafficking charges are prosecuted as first-degree penalties. However, the sentences vary greatly. According to Florida law, there is a maximum sentence of 30 years for any first-degree felony. But there are also some mandatory minimum sentences, depending on your circumstances.
Usually, the amount of the drug and the type of drug impact the length of your sentence. For marijuana trafficking involving less than 2,000 pounds of the drug, you may be required to pay a fine of $25,000. You will also receive a minimum sentence of three years.
As the quantity of the drug goes up, so does the penalty. For instance, you would serve a minimum of ten years in jail for having 10,000 pounds or less of marijuana. The fine goes up to $50,000.
If you have a history of criminal activity, you could receive harsher penalties. The Florida court system does not treat habitual offenders well.
Possession with an Intent to Sell
In some cases, your lawyer may be able to get your charge changed from drug trafficking to possession with intent to sell. Instead of being a first-degree felony, this crime is a third-degree felony. The maximum allowed jail time is five years, while the maximum fine is $5,000. If you’re charged with a second-degree felony, the maximum jail time is 15 years and the maximum fine is $10,000.
Fighting Your Charges
There are several ways in which you can take on the court and fight your criminal charges. However, you can’t do it alone. You need the help of a drug trafficking attorney in Orlando. An experienced lawyer will be able to come up with an effective defense strategy for your case.
They could argue that the evidence wasn’t legally obtained or that you were never aware of the drugs. At times, they could get the charges completely dropped. If you’re interested in working with a legal professional, call an attorney today.
