Drug crime charges are some of the most aggressively investigated and prosecuted criminal charges you can face. If you’ve been charged, then you need a Brooklyn drug crime lawyer, like Greco Neyland, to advocate for your rights and make the case against a guilty ruling. We fight to defend our clients against all manner of charges and see that they are given a fair trial.
There are often strong emotions regarding drugs and drug crimes, and juries are comprised of humans who feel these emotions the same as everyone else. To make sure, though, that you are given a fair trial, you need a lawyer who will provide an aggressive defense that reminds the jury of their duty to set their emotions aside and judge the case based on the facts.
Drug crimes are a broad category of criminal activity that involves the drug trade and controlled substances. The crimes can range from misdemeanors with relatively light sentences to felonies that could result in decades in jail.
Given the concern regarding the potential social impacts of drugs on societies, these crimes are aggressively pursued, and judges will often hand down harsh sentences, particularly if the convicted is a repeat offender.
Some of the more commonly charged drug crimes include:
A Brooklyn drug crime lawyer will take on a number of different roles in defending their clients. One of the primary roles they have is defending the rights of their clients. The Constitution provides for a number of rights that individuals have related to the criminal justice system. A Brooklyn criminal defense lawyer can help see that those rights are respected and upheld.
This does not just apply to the actual arrest. It’s important to recognize that those rights extend both prior to and after an arrest. For instance, you have the right to be free from unlawful searches. If you’re being investigated for a drug crime in Brooklyn, even if you haven’t been charged yet, a lawyer can help you in defending that right. You also have the right to a fair trial, which it is your lawyer’s duty to defend.
The evidence that is gathered will be used to prepare a defense for you. This defense will often need to be a response to the case that the prosecution is putting forth. This means we will need to consider how we expect the prosecution to make a case against you and identify where there may be weaknesses and places to create doubt regarding their narrative.
During this pre-trial period, there may be an offer for a plea deal, which we can negotiate if it’s the right choice for your situation. Sometimes, a plea deal can be the only option for receiving a lighter sentence. If not, we will be ready to execute the defense for you in court.
So often, in drug charges, there are situations where the evidence relies heavily on an illegal substance itself. However, that substance may have been collected illegally or incorrectly. It’s also possible that the chain of evidence could have been broken or there has been some kind of tampering, making that evidence unreliable.
All of these things could be grounds for getting the evidence disallowed from the trial, which motions to exclude could be made before the trial. Sometimes, this alone is enough for the prosecution to drop the charges altogether.
The exact nature of the defense strategy will depend on the specifics of your case, but we will be aggressive in defending your innocence. However, even the strongest arguments sometimes cannot overcome the evidence against someone. When this is the case, we will continue to make your case at sentencing and argue for a lighter sentence. Even after the trial, if there is any opportunity for appeals, we can defend you through those means as well.
It’s not uncommon for people to have questions and concerns regarding what they should look for in a Brooklyn drug crime lawyer. Even if they know that they want to hire a lawyer to defend them, they want to be sure that they are hiring the right lawyer. To this end, there is a range of potential criteria that you should consider.
Certainly, you want a lawyer who has a deep understanding of the drug crime laws, how they are applied, and how they can be defended against. Ideally, though, you want someone who has also put them into practice. A Brooklyn drug crime lawyer who understands first-hand how to defend these cases may be able to put that experience to work for you.
It’s important to find someone who has a strong ability to focus on the small details. It’s often the minor details that can make or break a drug crime case. If you have a lawyer who can recognize seemingly small issues in the prosecution’s claim and present those flaws clearly for the jury to recognize, this can give you a formidable chance at avoiding a guilty verdict.
Drugs are one of the most politically charged issues in society, as addiction rates, overdoses, and other negative effects are on the rise. This can make getting charged with a drug crime especially frightening. It can feel like your guilt has been decided before you’ve even had your day in court. It’s easy to start to doubt whether or not you’re going to be given a fair opportunity or if, because of the subject of the crime, the jury will already have their mind made up. You will, though, have a chance to be defended.
There are important constitutional protections that are provided for those accused of a crime. You have rights, including a presumption of innocence and a trial that proves your guilt beyond a reasonable doubt before any penalty is handed down. However, to make sure that these rights are asserted and respected can often require that you have an aggressive Brooklyn drug crime lawyer advocating for you on your behalf.
If you don’t want to leave anything in your defense to chance, then you want to ensure that you have a lawyer like Greco Neyland representing you. Contact us, and we can schedule a consultation to discuss the charges you’re facing and your defense.