Jacksonville Criminal Defense Attorney Blog
Five people arrested at a St. Johns County home are now facing serious felony charges after police raided the residence this month. Neighbors near the home had alerted police to suspicious activity, and police said they found a methamphetamine lab inside the home, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union. All three residents of the home were charged with various felonies and one, likely the homeowner or the main person on the lease of the property, was charged with the third-degree felony of maintaining a drug dwelling. That charge is punishable by up to five years in prison in this St. Johns County Drug Crimes Case. Other charges for people inside the home included trafficking in methamphetamine – a first degree felony punishable by up to life in prison, depending upon the amount of methamphetamine that police can prove the person had in a St. Johns County Drug Crimes Case.
Different drugs have vastly different penalties in St. Johns County Drug Crimes Cases and methamphetamine has as serious of penalties as any other drug. Charges are based on the type of drug and how much of it the person is alleged to have in his or her possession. For example, in this St. Johns County Drug Crimes case, police seized 82 grams of methamphetamine oil along with drug paraphernalia, the newspaper reported. Is the meth oil part of the product used to cook the meth, or is it the actual drug itself? That’s a significant question because the amount is the biggest factor in the charges. For example, if a person is charged with trafficking in meth and has between 14 and 28 grams, there is a minimum mandatory sentence of three years in prison. But if it is between 28 and 200 grams, that minimum mandatory sentence bumps up to seven years. Both amounts would carry a maximum sentence of 30 years in this St. Johns County Drug Crimes Case.
Compare that to marijuana, where possession of the drug doesn’t even become a felony until a person has more than 20 grams of the drug in his or her possession. Marijuana, though, is one of the few substances in St. Johns County Drug Cases where misdemeanor charges apply. Our St. Johns County Drug Crimes Attorney has represented people accused of all types of drug crimes, involving various controlled substances. Our St. Johns County Criminal Defense Attorney knows the ins and outs of possession and sale laws, as well as the penalties that apply based on the drug, to advise you on your options moving forward.
If you or a loved one needs a criminal defense attorney in Jacksonville or the surrounding area, call The Mussallem Law Firm at (904) 365-5200 for a FREE CONSULTATION. Our St. Johns County Drug Crimes Attorney, Victoria “Tori” Mussallem, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.