Do You Need a Drug Trafficking Defense Lawyer in Oklahoma City?

If you’ve been brought up on drug trafficking charges in Oklahoma City, you need a drug trafficking defense attorney that you can trust. Drug charges can be exceptionally serious, and you certainly should not take them lightly. Don’t try to navigate through the process on your own. Help is certainly available. 

Free Resources from OKC Criminal Defense Attorneys: 

Have you or a loved one been arrested in Oklahoma City? Are you concerned about your future following arrest in Oklahoma? Our team of Your Fierce Advocates® at Cannon & Associates is led by Army Veteran, John Cannon and we’re privileged to fight for client’s rights and freedom in Oklahoma criminal defense cases. Please review our other FREE RESOURCES until we can answer your specific Oklahoma criminal defense questions:

Have you been charged with a serious crime? Have you been arrested? Got warrants?!  Worried about defending those charges or worried about how you can make them go away? Well it doesn’t have to be that way. Serious steps need to be taken to avoid charges from becoming convictions. If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need a defense lawyer right away. A lawyer can stop the police from contacting you directly. If you want to get this resolved so you can go back to living your life, CALL NOW at (405) 972-8604. We’re available 24 hours a day, and 7 days a week to schedule a Free Case Planning Session to understand your options and rights in an Oklahoma criminal case!

Drug Crimes Are a Big Deal in Oklahoma City

Police officer holding a bag of drugs found in the trunk of a car. If you've been charged with drug trafficking in Oklahoma City, our drug trafficking defense lawyers can help you.

Drug trafficking and racketeering are very serious crimes in Oklahoma and can carry serious legal consequences, up to and including lengthy prison sentences. In fact, many of the people in Oklahoma prisons are there based on drug charges. Even if you don’t do jail time, you could have your work, finances, or family life affected for years to come. Drug charges can certainly follow you, which is why seeking good legal counsel is the best way to protect yourself.

If you don’t want to experience the lifetime consequences of drug trafficking charges, you need to act as soon as you’re charged. Waiting could jeopardize your case.

General Sentencing 

Oklahoma’s Trafficking in Illegal Drugs Act is very serious, and conviction of trafficking charges will likely result in prison time. Even first-time offenders can go to prison, depending on the severity of the crime. The standard prison sentence for those who violate the Trafficking in Illegal Drugs Act includes many years in prison. This sentence could be extended to a very long sentence if the court deems it serious enough.

If you violate this law three times or more, you face a mandatory minimum of twenty years in prison. The court or a jury can sentence up to life depending on the outcome in court. These laws are among some of the harshest in the country and are certainly not to be taken likely.

Long-Term Effects of Drug Convictions

Even if you don’t go to prison on your drug trafficking offense, you could still face major hurdles when it comes to loans, licenses, employment, and even finding housing. Drug trafficking charges will show up on just about any background check and can deter employers, landlords, or even banks from putting faith in you.

What Happens When You’re Arrested on Drug Trafficking Charges?

There is a general process that happens after you’re arrested on drug trafficking charges. Although it can vary on an individual basis, you can expect the following.

Initial Arrest

First, you’ll be arrested. Law enforcement personnel will draft reports and submit them to the prosecutor’s office. Once the prosecutor has the reports, they will review the case and determine what, if any charges to file.  Bond will be set and you will have an opportunity to post your bond. At this point, it’s important to exercise your rights and contact an experienced drug trafficking defense attorney who has experience in both Oklahoma drug law and drug trafficking charges. They can help guide you through your next steps.

Getting in Touch With a Drug Trafficking Defense Attorney

After you’ve been arrested, the next step is the arraignment. It’s absolutely vital that you have an experienced drug trafficking defense lawyer or team of lawyers who can help you before your arraignment. This defense lawyer will start to put together your defense, and working with the prosecution on your behalf. The idea is that they will build up as solid of a case as possible, as quickly as possible.

At the arraignment, the court presents you with the charges filed and establishes your court date. The court date is where you will begin negotiating or fighting your charges. Your defense attorney can seek a bond reduction on your behalf.

Preliminary Hearings and Pretrial Conference

At the preliminary hearing conference, your lawyer and the prosecutor decide the next steps. Either they start to negotiate the charges, settle on a plea agreement, or even throw out the case. This is why it’s important to get good legal counsel right off the bat.

 
An experienced drug trafficking lawyer can identify potential violations of your rights and insufficiency of evidence to seek suppression of evidence or even dismissal of your drug trafficking case. The prosecution must not only show evidence you trafficked drugs at the preliminary hearing, but more importantly that the police did not violate your rights.
 
 During the preliminary hearing, the prosecutor has the “burden of proof”. This means that they have to prove that you’ve committed a crime, rather than you proving that you have not. This system puts you in a favorable legal position most of the time. A good lawyer will know how to leverage it to get you the best deal possible.
 
A criminal defense team of lawyers who understands drug trafficking charges can help reduce your exposure to negative consequences in your case. That means a less serious charge on your record or lighter sentence, if your case is not dismissed.

 

The Trial

If your case goes to trial, you will be judged by a jury of your peers. The jury panel is subject to questions during jury selection from the judge, prosecutor, and your attorney. This process allows you to seek a jury that is not predisposed against you. 

Free Resources from OKC Criminal Defense Attorneys: 

Have you or a loved one been arrested in Oklahoma City? Are you concerned about your future following arrest in Oklahoma? Our team of Your Fierce Advocates® at Cannon & Associates is led by Army Veteran, John Cannon and we’re privileged to fight for client’s rights and freedom in Oklahoma criminal defense cases. Please review our other FREE RESOURCES until we can answer your specific Oklahoma criminal defense questions:

Have you been charged with a serious crime? Have you been arrested? Got warrants?!  Worried about defending those charges or worried about how you can make them go away? Well it doesn’t have to be that way. Serious steps need to be taken to avoid charges from becoming convictions. If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need a defense lawyer right away. A lawyer can stop the police from contacting you directly. If you want to get this resolved so you can go back to living your life, CALL NOW at (405) 972-8604. We’re available 24 hours a day, and 7 days a week to schedule a Free Case Planning Session to understand your options and rights in an Oklahoma criminal case!

This is another reason why having seasoned legal counsel in your corner is imperative. You want to be sure that your attorney is asking the proper questions. Once your case is tried, the jury comes back with a verdict. If you’re found guilty, you have to stay in custody. If you’re innocent, you can go free.

If you are found guilty, you can always appeal the charges. The entire process of litigating a drug trafficking case or jury trial can be tricky and overwhelming if you’re not accustomed to drug trafficking laws, which is why it’s vital that you don’t go it alone. Always hire a Fierce Advocate as soon as possible to deal with serious drug trafficking charges.

A Good Drug Trafficking Defense Lawyer Can Help

If you’re brought up on a drug trafficking offense, your freedom and livelihood could be at stake, which is why finding an excellent drug trafficking defense attorney is absolutely critical. Drug trafficking attorneys can help you wade through all of the paperwork and dig up evidence that can support your innocence. Good lawyers also know how to find and call on witnesses to give credence to your innocence and show your case in the best possible light. One of the most important issues in these cases is experience and understanding of suppression issues.

An experienced drug trafficking defense attorney can also negotiate with the prosecution to positively affect the outcome of your case. It’s important to have an excellent defense team behind you, especially if your case is going into litigation or a suppression issue. When you’re charged with drug trafficking, you need a team that knows how to fight for you, and who has years of experience working with drug-related charges. Finding the right team for you can really help to save your future and keep you from seeing the inside of a jail cell for decades, or even life.

At Cannon & Associates, PLLC, we are dedicated to Fierce Advocacy for our clients. It doesn’t matter how serious your drug trafficking charges are; our drug trafficking defense lawyers will seek to help you get the best outcome. We’ve seen it all, and have years of experience helping clients just like you.

If you’ve been charged with a drug trafficking offense, you need a drug trafficking defense lawyer that you can trust. Let us help you get some peace of mind during a very scary and uncertain time. We can help. Contact Cannon & Associates, PLLC at (405) 657-2323 for your free evaluation and to learn more about your options today.

By John Cannon