Sale of Drugs
There is a point on TV shows that when you see undercover police officers trying to set up a bust, they have to do certain things. Are those steps the same ones as needed in real life to arrest a person? Is there an amount from a sale that makes a drug sale a lesser charge than if it were a bigger dollar amount? Does it really matter what drug is involved in the bust to make the charges worse?
Drug Sale Amounts in Tampa
- The short answer is yes, the drug and the amount in a person’s possession will affect the charges. It will also affect the charges as to what the intent was with the drugs. Is there intent to sell them to the person using them or is it intent to sell to someone who distributes the drugs again? Are there juveniles involved in the distribution process? The charges can have a lot of variables in them when a prosecutor is looking at a person’s history too.
- There are lots of laws when it comes to drug sale in Tampa and what a person’s charges will be. You take in to consideration the type of drug that was being sold, how much of the drug was in possession of the person selling it and whether the person has previous drug convictions against them and what they are. There isn’t a true clear cut line of what charges will be when a person is caught selling drugs until you know all of their history and what they have done in the past.
No Intent for a Drug Sale?
- For the person who was caught with a small amount of pot and has no intent to sell it, then the charges – if they are a first time offender – will probably equal a fine, probation and maybe community service work. Rarely does a first time offense with pot include jail time. The person who is caught with a large amount of cocaine and cash on their person, however, will probably face jail time, a large fine and other things a judge decides because they look to have the means of distributing drugs and receiving cash from drugs.
Even if a person does not have drugs on them, but drug paraphernalia on them, it is an offense. Prosecutors and police assume that you will be or were in possession of drugs or else you would not have the other tools on your body. Drug paraphernalia charges are lesser than actually possessing the drug, for first time offenders. If you or the person you love have had prior drug convictions and are caught with the paraphernalia, the police will assume that it is another offense with the same drug and the charges will be much stiffer. If you or your loved one face any type of drug charges, it is best to seek out an attorney. Even if it is a first time arrest in Tampa, the lawyers will best know how to handle the situation so there is the least amount of money and charges involved for the person who did the drug sale.
