Required

Dale City Drug Lawyer

There are a handful of drug laws that apply to Dale City. Among them are laws that prohibit drug possession, transporting or trafficking drugs, and distributing or selling them. Running afoul of any one of these laws, though, can lead to severe penalties and sanctions that can change your life.

By hiring a Dale City drug lawyer, you could challenge the charges you are facing and ensure that everything is being done to protect your future. Even in the worst circumstances, having a lawyer’s input could help you reach an outcome in your case that you can live with. Call today and set up a consultation with a seasoned criminal defense attorney.

Drug Possession in Dale City

One of the drug laws in Dale City is drug possession. Even drug possession, though, has different penalties and other nuances that depend on the type of drug at issue.

What drug possession laws have in common, though, is that they all prohibit people in Dale City from knowingly possessing certain drugs without a prescription, regardless of whether they are being carried on someone’s person, or are merely under their control.

One drug possession law is found at Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-250.1. This statute prohibits the possession of marijuana without a valid prescription. Among all of the laws dealing with drug possession, marijuana possession is one of the least severe.

Nevertheless, a first conviction can still come with up to 30 days in jail and a fine of up to $500, though probation is often an option. Subsequent convictions of marijuana possession are Class 1 misdemeanors, punishable with up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.

Drug Trafficking or Transporting Drugs

A more serious drug offense is for transporting or trafficking drugs into the state of Virginia. Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-248.01 is the law that prohibits importing the following types and quantities of drugs:

  • One or more ounces of cocaine
  • Five or more pounds of marijuana
  • One or more ounces of any drug listed as a Schedule I or II substance in the Drug Control Act

The penalties for trafficking these types and quantities of drugs are severe, in large part because the law presumes that the large amount of drugs means that there is intent to sell them. A first-time conviction is a felony level offense that comes with between five and 40 years in jail, as well as a fine of up to one million dollars.

A subsequent conviction has a mandatory minimum of ten years in jail, rather than five, making a Dale City drug lawyer even more essential.

Drug Distribution

Finally, selling or distributing drugs is another serious offense in Dale City, especially if the buyer is a minor or if the sale happens in certain areas.

An important aspect of the drug distribution law is that it does not necessarily require a sale to happen. Distribution can happen even without an exchange of money—even a gift of a controlled substance is enough to run afoul of the law.

Penalties for drug distribution depend on where the exchange happened, as well as the age of the buyer. In the most severe instances, the penalties include fines in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and jail sentences of up to 50 years. Therefore, it is critical for defendants to seek the services of a seasoned attorney.

Let a Dale City Drug Attorney Assist

If you have been accused of violating a drug law, having a Dale City drug lawyer on hand to defend against the charges is essential if you want to protect your rights and avoid the severe penalties that come with a conviction.

Even if you think that there is little that can be done to defend against a conviction, a drug attorney could help persuade the judge and prosecutor to take a lighter approach in the sentencing portion of the process. The sooner you contact a lawyer, the sooner they could begin building a strong defense for you.