Drug Crimes

Aggressive Criminal Defense Against Drug Charges

Salt Lake City, Ogden, Provo Drug Crimes Defense Lawyer

Drug crimes carry some of the harshest consequences of any crime. Even a conviction for a relatively minor drug crime, such as possession of marijuana, will create a criminal record that can stand in the way of college funding, an apartment, or a job.

If you have been charged with more serious drug crimes, like drug manufacturing, you may find yourself facing charges in federal court. State and federal law enforcement may work together on cases that involve drug trafficking and conspiracy. Not only are these cases more difficult to defend, but with mandatory minimum federal sentences, you are facing more jail time.

This is not just a court case, this is your life—and it’s our fight.

At the Salt Lake City law office of Rasmussen & Miner, we understand the challenges you face. We’ve been representing people charged with felony and misdemeanor drug crimes for more than 20 years. Our drug crimes defense attorneys have a track record of results in state and federal drug courts on drug charges involving prescription painkillers, meth, coke, heroin, marijuana and ecstasy.

Contact our office to schedule a free initial consultation. Call (801)363-8500. Our phones are answered 24/7 and we make jail visits.

Our Attorneys Take All Drug Crimes Defense Seriously

Prosecutors use a number of tactics when charging a drug crime, including:

• Claiming that the presence of money in your car, your home, or on your person somehow means you’re connected to the drug trade;
• Adding unwarranted additional charges, such as intent to sell or drug trafficking; and
• We also see prosecutors tack on conspiracy charges.

There are Numerous Defenses To Drug Charges

Before you decide that you need to plead guilty, contact a drug crimes lawyer Salt Lake City, UT residents trust to discuss your options. Drug crimes are prosecuted aggressively, but the work of police and prosecutors can also be sloppy (or corrupt) in these cases. As a result, it may be possible to mount a successful defense, to get charges reduced or dropped, or, at minimum, to pursue the least significant punishments associated with a specific charge. Below are just some of the many possible defenses to drug charges that the Salt Lake City, Utah drug crimes lawyer team at Rasmussen & Miner may use to defend your case.

Illegal Search and Seizure

If police discovered drugs in your possession, it matters a great deal how they discovered those drugs. Did the police have a warrant to search your home? Did you consent to a search of your car? Did police have probable cause to suspect that you had drugs, or were they acting on a flimsy hunch?

Unless police followed proper procedure (such as probable cause or a warrant), they may have violated your Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure. If so, we can file a motion to suppress the evidence they discovered. Without that evidence, the case may need to be thrown out.

Inadequate Proof that the Drugs are Real

You would be shocked how often police officers arrest innocent people after finding harmless substances that are mistaken for drugs. If officers test drugs at the scene, they are likely using cheap, highly inaccurate testing kits. And if the drugs are tested at a crime lab, the samples may be mishandled or test results skewed.

Unwitting Possession or Misattributed Ownership

Police may see drugs “in plain sight” and assume they belong to you. If you were in a shared space at the time or were borrowing a friend’s car, for instance, it is incumbent upon prosecutors to prove that you knew the drugs were there and that you owned them.

Police Misconduct

As major news stories have shown time and time again, not all police officers are honest or willing to go by the book. In drug cases, it is sometimes possible to argue that the drugs found on you were actually planted by the officer. This is a difficult defense to mount and would likely require convincing a judge to release a file of any previous complaints levied against the arresting officer.

Entrapment is another defense that is difficult but sometimes possible. Entrapment occurs when law enforcement induces someone to commit a crime that he would not have committed otherwise. An undercover cop aggressively trying to sell drugs to someone who didn’t approach him, for instance, might be entrapment if he does finally convince the person to buy.

Don’t Wait to Contact and Attorney

If you’re facing drug charges, you should not wait to contact an experienced Salt Lake City, UT drug crimes lawyer. These charges won’t blow over and you cannot reason your way out of them. Your best chance at protecting your rights and your freedom is to call an experienced criminal defense attorney at our firm. The sooner you contact us, the more time we’ll have to prepare the best possible defense against the charges you’re facing.

A Strategic Defense for Drug Crimes

We believe that every case has a “best possible outcome.”  That may be getting charges dismissed, reduced, or getting acquitted in a criminal trial. In order to get that best possible outcome, we take a team approach to your drug crimes defense. Two attorneys will review your case to identify strengths and weaknesses and develop an effective defense strategy.

Put our drug crimes defense team to work on your case. Contact our Salt Lake City law office.