Title: What is Drug Trafficking and What Penalties Can I Face?
Description:Michigan Criminal defense attorney Barton Morris discusses what drug trafficking is and the penalties one can face.
What is Drug Trafficking and What Penalties Can I Face?
Federal drug trafficking is generally thought of as one of several different activities. The importation of a controlled substance or exportation of controlled substances; the delivery, manufacture, dispensing of controlled substances. And in general, somebody accused of drug trafficking is thought of as a drug dealer. Drug trafficking cases are actually very plentiful in federal criminal court. About 30 percent of all cases filed in federal criminal court are drug trafficking cases.
And what’s also interesting in drug cases is that the penalty will be based upon the amount of drugs involved. So for instance, 28 grams of crack cocaine for instance – if somebody’s in possession of 28 grams and they’re charged with or convicted of possession with intent to distribute, that is a 5 year mandatory minimum jail sentence. Just 5 grams of methamphetamine, pure methamphetamine, or 50 grams of a mixture of methamphetamine or something else is also 5 years, mandatory minimum jail sentence.
A judge has no discretion to say that somebody’s a minimum participant or they’ve never been in trouble before. It doesn’t matter. The five most popular drugs in criminal court are: heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine (there’s a difference between powder cocaine and crack cocaine, which is penalized much higher), marijuana, and methamphetamine.
