Drug Crime Lawyers
Out of all the States in America, South Carolina boasts some of the toughest penalties for drug crime convictions. If you’re arrested and charged with a drug crime, you should immediately hire an experienced drug crime lawyer to fight for your freedom. South Carolina does not joke around with drug charges and the State works to prosecute the defendant to the fullest extent of the law.
There are many different types of drug crime charges in this State, and we have represented many a defendant and many a charge including:
- Drug trafficking;
- Manufacturing Drugs;
- Money laundering;
- Possession of drugs;
- Possession of drugs in the proximity of a school;
- Possession with intent to distribute; or
- Prescription Fraud.
Being convicted of a drug crime results in mandatory minimum sentencing from the judge.
How Can I Protect My Future?
As mentioned above, if you are found guilty of a drug crime, you will face a mandatory minimum prison sentence (the duration of which can extend to life without the possibility of parole) as well as monetary fines. Your sentencing depends on many different aspects including:
- Amount of drugs;
- How you acquired the drugs;
- Crossing State or international borders;
- Whether you’re being tried in State or Federal District Court;
- Prior convictions; and
- Number of drug offenses a defendant has on their record.
What Am I Looking At?
If you’re convicted of any drug crime (anything from simple possession of a blunt and spanning to trafficking cocaine from Mexico into the US) will result in you having a criminal record and drug conviction record. This conviction could result in the loss of your career, educational, and military opportunities–present or future.
Enhanced Drug Penalties
We’ve laid out the fact that South Carolina has extremely harsh drug crime sentencing and penalties. To go further into detail: if you’ve been arrested and you have a prior drug conviction on your record, you face a possible mandatory prison sentence in both State and Federal Court. Continuing, if you’re convicted of any drug crime, another drug offense charge will automatically be a second drug offense even if the drug charges are different from the first offense.
So this means that if you were a wild freshman in college where you were busted for having a small amount of cocaine and received probation and a maximum fine of $5,000, this is considered your first drug conviction. A few years later, you are charged with trafficking MDMA (“Molly”), not only would this be your second drug offense, you’d be facing a higher possible fine and sentence. Your mandatory minimum incarceration time would be 5-30 years (no possibility of parole) and fine of $40,000. The possible penalties from the State or Federal Government could include:
- Asset forfeiture;
- Impounding your car;
- Seizure of home or real estate (if drugs found on premises);
- Seizure of cash;
- Loss of professional licenses or business;
- Loss of your right to own, possess, or carry a firearm; and/or
- Loss of right to vote.
Let Our Experience Work For You
We understand the system and want to use our years of legal experience to help protect your rights and your freedom. As we’ve shown, South Carolina has extremely harsh penalties for a drug crime conviction, and your future is at risk–call us today or visit us at stromlaw.com.
