If you were charged with drug cultivation or manufacturing, you need to work with an experienced legal team. Drug charges carry significant weight in Texas, and law enforcement is diligently striving to penalize anyone facing these.
A skilled Waco drug manufacturing lawyer could help you avoid an unfair punishment by building a strong defense. Having a competent drug crimes attorney on your side improves your chances of reducing or dismissing charges.
Drug manufacturing is the production of illegal substances like methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and other controlled drugs. This process may include the following:
Drug manufacturing is different from drug trafficking, which focuses on the transportation, sale, or distribution of illegal substances. While both activities are criminal offenses, manufacturing is a more serious crime with harsher penalties because of the significant role it plays in the drug supply chain.
An experienced drug manufacturing lawyer in Waco could help explain the charges and build a strong defense to avoid unfair penalties.
Depending on the amount of drugs and the circumstances surrounding the manufacturing process, you may be charged with a state or federal crime.
Based on your criminal history and the amount of drugs you possess, you can be charged with a second or first-degree felony. The punishment for the latter can be up to 99 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The minimum charge is a state jail felony with at least 180 days in prison.
Texas has a “three strike” law, which states that a person convicted of a felony (except for state jail felony) for the third time could face a lifetime in prison without parole.
If you are charged with a federal crime, the penalties can be even more serious than for a state crime. For example, manufacturing cocaine or heroin could lead to 20 years in prison for the first offense and life in prison for the second offense.
A drug manufacturing attorney in Waco could leverage several types of defenses to create a unique approach to protecting your rights. The most effective defenses in such cases are:
If you were unaware that drug manufacturing was taking place or had no intention of producing illegal substances, this could serve as a defense.
Evidence may be inadmissible in court if law enforcement violated your Fourth Amendment rights by conducting an unlawful search or seizure.
The prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you were involved in manufacturing drugs. If the evidence is weak, your charges could be dismissed.
If law enforcement fails to follow proper legal procedures, such as mishandling evidence or not reading your rights, your attorney may be able to challenge the prosecution’s case.
The faster you contact a lawyer after learning about the charges, the easier it is for them to collect evidence and build a robust defense.
If you were charged with a drug crime, you must work with a legal professional to build a strong defense. Without legal assistance, you could be facing maximum penalties.
A skilled Waco drug manufacturing lawyer from the Greening Law Group could protect your rights. Call us for a consultation today.