Charges involving possession of illegal drugs can be very serious. At a minimum, possession of illegal drug charges in New York are punishable by a year in jail and are misdemeanors, which are crimes under the state of New York; conviction would leave a person with a permanent criminal record.
On the other hand, there are possession of illegal drug charges in New York State that are felonies; the most serious of felonies in New York punishable by very substantial prison sentences, and there’s gradations in between. It’s very important to understand the specific charge. With many possession charges, lawyers will look at the reason the police stopped you, how the police searched you, and whether or not that stop and search were constitutional. Those are factors that should be looked up by any experienced attorney and should be looked at in any case where you’re charged with the possession of illegal drugs. In addition, an experienced attorney will look at how you can be connected with the drugs in question. Were they found in your pocket or were they found in some other place?
These are all important questions that need to be answered before a lawyer can properly advise you about how to handle a possession of illegal drug case. Many people will ask me about the possession of prescription drugs. Prescription drugs can also be a crime under certain circumstances. These are complex crimes, serious crimes, and they’re crimes for which people need experienced lawyers. If you get charged with a crime involving illegal drugs, please contact one of our experienced attorneys as soon as possible.