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Pennsylvania Possession of Cocaine Lawyers
Drug charges are some of the most serious types of criminal charges out there. If you’re caught in possession of drugs like cocaine, then you could be facing steep penalties. Even if you’re caught with only a small amount of cocaine that you intended for personal use or to give to someone else, you could be facing up to a year in jail and fines as high as $5,000.
Pennsylvania imposes strict penalties on those found in possession of illegal drugs like cocaine. Cocaine is one of those drugs that is never legal, no matter how great or small the amount is. If you’re found in possession of it, you will be charged with a drug crime, and drug crimes carry severe consequences that can leak over into other aspects of your life.
Not only could you have to pay steep fines and do jail time, but you could also have workplace repercussions. Many employers have a no drug policy, so you could lose your job if you’ve convicted of drug possession. Likewise, you might be ordered to go to a rehab, which could cause you to lose your job since you’ll be in rehab instead of working, and being charged with possession of drugs could also affect your relationships. Your family and friends might not trust you anymore, or you might feel judgement coming from them and the rest of the world, especially when you’re seeking new employment. Many employers don’t want to hire people who’ve been convicted of drug crimes like being in possession of cocaine.
To make matters worse, if you’ve been charged with drug possession before, regardless of whether it was cocaine or another type or drug, your charges could be aggravated. Pennsylvania usually comes down harder on habitual or repeat offenders, especially in drug possession cases.
Arrest Doesn’t Equal a Conviction
One thing you’ve got going on your side is that an arrest doesn’t equal a conviction, though. Just because you were arrested for being in possession of cocaine doesn’t necessarily mean that the charges will stick. There are various defenses a lawyer could craft to hopefully get the charges dropped, which is part of why it’s so important for you to seek out a lawyer when you’re charged with possession of cocaine.
How a Lawyer Can Help
There are numerous ways a lawyer could help you beat your cocaine possession charge. First of all, your lawyer will examine all the facts surrounding your case to determine whether the arrest itself was legal or not. For instance, if you were pulled over and then found to be in possession of cocaine, your lawyer will try to determine whether the stop was legal. If the police office pulled you over without a valid reason and then found the cocaine, then the evidence could be ruled as inadmissible since the stop wasn’t warranted in the first place. This could result in your charges being dropped completely.
If the arrest was indeed legal, then your lawyer will try to evaluate where the cocaine was found and all the other specifics of your case. For instance, if you were pulled over for swerving all the road and cocaine was found in the passenger side floorboard of your vehicle and there were three other people in the car with you, then your lawyer could argue that the cocaine wasn’t yours and that you had no knowledge that it was even in the vehicle.
In a best case scenario, your lawyer can get the charges completely dropped, but even if he or she can’t get them dismissed completely, lawyers can help mitigate the penalties for the crime. Lawyers have the connections with the courts and the negotiation skills to work out the best possible plea deal for you if you are convicted of possession of cocaine. If this is your first arrest period, your lawyer might be able to use your otherwise clean record as a testament to your good character. Regardless, when you’re charged with a crime as serious as possession of cocaine, you should contact a lawyer immediately.