Hampton Roads Federal Drug Penalties

As a proficient and practiced federal drug lawyer knows, being involved in a federal-level narcotics charge can have serious implications on someone’s life. An experienced attorney can help you prepare a defense strong enough to try combatting potential Hampton Roads federal drug penalties associated with your case.

What is the Role of the Federal Government in a Narcotics Case?

The federal government tends to only get involved on major drug cases. If they are handling a case, then there is a significant amount of controlled substances involved. Federal judges tend to be harsher on these types of charges than state judges in federal guidelines for drug distribution cases are not as forgiving as state guidelines.

Hampton Roads federal drug penalties will usually mirror the state penalties. In Virginia, for one count of distributing a controlled substance, that would trigger anywhere between 5 to 40 years. They will follow those guidelines assuming they are charging someone under those charges.

Is There a Process for Assigning Consequences in Federal Drug Cases?

Hampton Roads federal drug penalties will be determined by the judge. There are sentencing guidelines that are prepared and they take into account the nature of the offense or the amount of the substance, the type of substance, whether or not the person has pled guilty or not.

Long-Term Implications of a Federal Drug Conviction

If someone is convicted of a drug charge, then more than likely, it is going to lead to a felony. A felony would cause someone to lose their right to own a firearm, lose their right to vote, the right to serve on jury trials and it could be used against them in trials should they testify. They also have to disclose that they have a felony conviction. They are probably going to be put on some sort of supervised probation and have a suspended sentence over the person’s head for a period of time where they are to be on good behavior or they risk going to jail.

How an Attorney Could Help

They first try to talk to the government prosecutor and see if there is an agreed upon sentence. While federal judges do not have to accept it, usually, they will accept recommendations for Hampton Roads federal drug penalties if both sides recommend the sentence. If they are unable to recommend a sentence, they have to go before the judge. They want to try to provide the court mitigating evidence suggesting that this was an isolated incident, this is not reflective of who the person is and they are going to make changes.

If the accused has had no previous run-ins with the law, an attorney will likely do what they can to make the court aware of that. If multiple people involved and while the client was guilty, but they had a smaller level of responsibility than the other parties, the attorney would want to make the judge aware of that. Lawyers will likely try to show evidence of good character and stability in their contribution to society by their ability to hold down a job.