FEDERAL CRIMINAL LAWYERS

Hunterdon County Cocaine Possession Lawyers

You got charged with cocaine possession last week in Hunterdon County, maybe after you got pulled over on Route 31 near Flemington and the officer found a small plastic bag during the search of your car, maybe after a traffic stop on Route 202 in Raritan Township where the K-9 unit alerted and they found cocaine in your center console, maybe after police executed a search warrant at your home in Clinton during a domestic violence call and discovered cocaine in your bedroom, maybe after you were stopped at a rest area on I-78 and a consent search revealed cocaine in your jacket pocket, maybe after a probation violation search in Lambertville found cocaine residue in your vehicle. You don’t know whether you’re facing a third-degree indictable offense with three to five years in state prison or whether you qualify for Pretrial Intervention that could result in complete dismissal. You don’t understand what happens at the arraignment in Flemington in 48 hours. You don’t know if the Public Safety Assessment score will result in detention or release. You’re concerned about losing your job if your employer finds out. You’re concerned about whether your prior marijuana possession conviction from 2015 disqualifies you from PTI. You’re worried about bail, about whether you can afford a lawyer, about whether this conviction destroys your professional license forever. It’s 2am and you’re searching “Hunterdon County cocaine possession lawyers” trying to understand if your life is over or if there’s a way out of this.

Thanks for visiting Spodek Law Group. Our founder Todd Spodek earned his Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University and his Juris Doctor from Pace Law School in White Plains, New York. Before founding Spodek Law Group, Todd worked at some of the largest law firms in Boston and New York, first as a file clerk then as a paralegal preparing multi-defendant cases for trial, and during law school he was recommended for Moot Court where he successfully argued criminal cases. Todd is a second-generation attorney. Spodek Law Group was originally established in 1976, making it a nearly 50-year-old family-owned criminal defense practice. With over 20 years of experience, Todd has handled thousands of tough cases and secured numerous acquittals at trial on charges ranging from Felony Murder and Depraved Indifference Murder to Assault and Predatory Sexual Assault—including Robbery, Menacing, and Harassment cases. His work has garnered national media attention. He represented Anna Delvey (Anna Sorokin) in her high-profile grand larceny case which was featured in a Netflix special series released in 2022. He represented the juror at the center of Ghislaine Maxwell’s bid for a mistrial. He handled the Faith Walk Ministry case involving over $1.2 million in fraud charges. Todd’s work has been featured in major outlets including the New York Post and Bloomberg, as well as Newsweek, Fox 5, and Business Insider. Spodek Law Group has received over 700 client reviews. We’ve represented many, many clients charged with cocaine possession throughout Hunterdon County Municipal Courts and Superior Court over nearly five decades, many, many successful outcomes including PTI approvals, Drug Court dismissals, and constitutional challenges that resulted in complete case dismissals. If you’re reaching out to us, we understand the stakes you’re facing.

The answer depends on multiple factors including whether the prosecution can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you knowingly possessed cocaine, whether the quantity found was under 0.5 grams or significantly more, whether you have prior drug convictions that disqualify you from diversionary programs, and whether the traffic stop or search violated your Fourth Amendment rights. Cocaine possession is classified as a third-degree indictable offense under N.J.S.A. 2C:35-10 with penalties of three to five years in state prison and up to $35,000 in fines under N.J.S.A. 2C:43-6. All third-degree cocaine possession cases in Hunterdon County are prosecuted by the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office and handled in Hunterdon County Superior Court located in Flemington. First-time offenders may qualify for Pretrial Intervention, a 6-18 month supervisory program where charges are suspended and then dismissed upon successful completion, or conditional discharge under N.J.S.A. 2C:36A-1 which provides probation and dismissal for certain first offenders. Hunterdon County also offers Drug Court, a 6-12 month intensive program with weekly drug testing that results in dismissal if completed successfully. Our lawyers have secured dismissals through both PTI and Drug Court for Hunterdon County clients facing cocaine charges.

What happens in the next seven days determines everything. Within 48 hours you’ll appear for arraignment in Hunterdon County Superior Court where charges are read and the prosecutor may request detention. The Public Safety Assessment evaluates your risk based on prior record and charge severity. If detention is requested, a judge decides whether you’re released with conditions or held. Release conditions include drug testing, travel restrictions, and sometimes electronic monitoring. The immediate question: do I tell my employer now or wait? If you’re detained you won’t be at work tomorrow. The critical decision in the next 30-60 days is whether to apply for Pretrial Intervention or proceed to trial. PTI is not automatic and Hunterdon County prosecutors are more conservative than Essex or Hudson counties. Any prior drug conviction—even decade-old marijuana possession—likely disqualifies you. If eligible, the prosecutor evaluates you based on offense nature, criminal history, and rehabilitation likelihood. If rejected, you can appeal to a Superior Court judge. PTI lasts 6-18 months requiring probation check-ins, drug testing, community service, and fees. Upon completion, charges are dismissed and you avoid conviction. Violations terminate PTI and reinstate charges. Quantity determines your entire case strategy. Under 0.5 grams means third-degree charges and possible PTI. Between 0.5-5 ounces is still third-degree but prosecutors won’t approve PTI. Over 5 ounces triggers second-degree charges with five to ten years in state prison and up to $150,000 in fines plus intent to distribute charges. Police scales may be miscalibrated, they include packaging weight, and they round up. Every gram matters—it’s the difference between PTI eligibility and mandatory prison. We challenge weight through independent testing, chain of custody examination, and suppression motions when police violated procedures. Hunterdon County handles cocaine cases more conservatively than Essex or Hudson counties—judges impose jail time more readily and approve PTI appeals less often. However, Hunterdon expanded Drug Court in 2024-2025 to accept third-degree cases. Drug Court requires 6-12 months of weekly court appearances, random testing, counseling, and vocational training. It’s more demanding than PTI but results in dismissal and it’s available when PTI is not. Where your case gets assigned—which judge, which prosecutor—matters as much as the charge itself because local knowledge built over nearly 50 years produces different outcomes than a lawyer appearing in Flemington for the first time. Todd Spodek’s constitutional defense approach mirrors Dershowitz’s philosophy: challenge every element of the government’s case, assume nothing, and force prosecutors to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt or dismiss it. In Hunterdon County cocaine possession cases, that means filing motions to suppress evidence when the traffic stop was pretextual, when police extended the stop beyond its lawful scope to wait for a K-9 unit, when the search exceeded the scope of consent, or when police entered your home without a valid warrant or applicable exception. It means challenging the lab testing procedures because field tests are notoriously unreliable and many substances test positive for cocaine when they’re not, demanding that the State produce the lab technician for cross-examination at trial rather than accepting a lab report as proof, and examining whether police maintained proper chain of custody from the moment of seizure through lab testing and storage. Many cocaine possession cases in Hunterdon County have been dismissed not because our clients were factually innocent, but because police violated the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures or because prosecutors couldn’t prove their case when we challenged the reliability of their evidence. One constitutional violation, one break in the chain of custody, one improperly calibrated scale—any of these can result in suppression of evidence and dismissal of your entire case.

Call 212-300-5196.