Federal Drug Trafficking Lawyer St. Louis, MO. If you are caught with a small amount of drugs, you may only be charged with simple possession. However, if found with a quantity of drugs greater than for your personal use, or if there are any indicators of manufacturing or distribution of drugs, federal prosecutors may want to try you on federal drug trafficking charges. You need to speak with a St. Louis drug trafficking attorney from Combs Law Group immediately. Call us right away at (314) 900-HELP or contact us online to schedule a free, no-obligation, and confidential consultation to go over the specifics of your case.
Charges associated with drug sales and drug trafficking are much more severe than other federal drug-related crimes. With a higher punishment comes a higher burden of proof requirement for federal investigators and prosecutors. Hiring an aggressive and experienced St. Louis criminal defense attorney is your best chance at beating the government’s burden of proof and getting the charges reduced or dropped.
Our drug trafficking defense team will pursue all avenues available in your case. From attacking the evidence of intent, to challenging the legality of evidence obtained, to challenging a case based on entrapment, Combs Law will fight continuously to beat your charges. Call us now at (314) 900-HELP or contact us online.
Aggressively Defending Our St. Louis, MO Clients Against Federal Drug Trafficking Charges
The federal government takes all unlawful drug-related activity extremely seriously. Many federal agencies are tasked with enforcing the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), including the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Federal investigators from these agencies can make arrests and turn evidence over to federal prosecutors who decide whether to issue charges. You can bet the government will use all available resources to try to apprehend, convict, and penalize you if you are involved in drug trafficking operations. No one in the federal criminal justice system will go easy on you or do you any favors. They are not on your side, so you need a St. Louis drug trafficking attorney who is.
According to the United States Sentencing Commission, drug trafficking makes up approximately 26 percent of all federal criminal cases nationwide and is the second-largest category of prosecutions, second only to immigration cases. Additionally, almost all (99.5%) drug offenders in federal prison were serving sentences for drug trafficking. It is critical to have the right representation in these situations, so don’t hesitate to call Combs Law right away at (314) 900-HELP or contact us online.
Penalties for Federal Drug Trafficking Convictions
As is the case with any other type of drug offense, the penalties for drug trafficking can vary depending on both the type of drug that was found and the quantity. The DEA has a list of penalties specified by drug and amount. The penalties are based on the CSA’s scheduling of drugs – trafficking Schedule I drugs carries the heaviest sentences and the sentences decrease in severity moving from Schedule II to Schedule III and onto Schedule IV and Schedule V. The following are only a few possible examples of penalties for drug trafficking:
- A first offense for trafficking any of the following can mean 5 to 40 years in federal prison and a $5 million fine for individuals or a $25 million fine for more than one person=
- 500 to 4,999 grams of cocaine
- 100 to 999 grams of heroin
- 10 to 99 grams of fentanyl analogue
- 50 to 499 grams of methamphetamine mixture
- 100 to 999 grams of PCP mixture
- A first offense for trafficking any of the following can mean 10 years to life in federal prison and a $10 million fine for individuals or a $50 million fine for more than one person=
- Five kilograms or more of cocaine
- One kilogram or more of heroin
- 100 grams or more of fentanyl analogue
- 500 grams or more of methamphetamine mixture
- One kilogram or more of PCP mixture
- A first offense for trafficking any of the following can mean up to 20 years in federal prison and a $1 million fine for individuals or a $5 million fine for more than one person= Any other amount of Schedule I or II substances
- A first offense for trafficking any of the following can mean up to 10 years in federal prison and a $500,000 fine for individuals or a $2.5 million fine for more than one person= Any amount of Schedule III substances
- A first offense for trafficking any of the following can mean up to 5 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine for individuals or a $1 million fine for more than one person= Any amount of Schedule IV substances
- A first offense for trafficking any of the following can mean up to one year in federal prison and a $100,000 fine for individuals or a $250,000 fine for more than one person= Any amount of Schedule V substances
Any of the above penalties can increase substantially if you have a prior offense or if anyone was injured or killed during the commission of a drug trafficking offense.
Federal Drug Trafficking Allegations in St. Louis
Drug trafficking can involve many different activities regarding narcotics and other controlled substances. Any of the following acts may lead to charges:
- Possession with intent to distribute
- Conspiracy to distribute
- Cultivation
- Manufacturing
- Distribution
- Selling
- Financing
- Transportation
Drug trafficking can also include a variety of additional federal charges, including:
- Firearm offenses – Oftentimes, individuals who are transporting, distributing, or selling drugs or who are otherwise actively involved in a trafficking operation will carry a firearm. Possessing or using a firearm during a drug trafficking offense can lead to additional charges and enhanced prison sentences by 10 years or more.
- Money Laundering – Drug trafficking schemes can make large profits. But these profits can’t be simply deposited into a bank, as they must account for the source of any deposits of $10,000 or more. Therefore, trafficking operations often involve complex money laundering schemes to use the profits while masking the illegal source of the money.
- RICO violations – In many cases, drug trafficking cartels are viewed as organized crime syndicates. For this reason, investigators and prosecutors frequently look to evidence that may allow charges for racketeering under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law. Prosecutors must be able to prove there was a criminal enterprise, as well as that the enterprise engaged in at least two specified criminal offenses within 10 years, which include drug trafficking and money laundering. If a RICO violation is alleged, prosecutors can charge anyone involved in the enterprise.
Some or all of the above charges will commonly accompany federal drug trafficking allegations, adding potential penalties to a conviction. A skilled St. Louis federal criminal defense attorney from Combs Law will know how to defend against each individual charge involved in a particular case, limiting the possible consequences as much as possible. Call us now at (314) 900-HELP or contact us online.
Reach Out to a St. Louis Criminal Defenses Attorney to Discuss Your Federal Drug Trafficking Case | Combs Law Group
If you are under investigation or have been arrested and charged with federal drug trafficking, you need someone on your side as soon as possible. Drug trafficking charges are serious, and federal prosecutors often have a lot of evidence from long-term investigations. It is critical to have the right lawyer on your side throughout the entire federal criminal process.
Call a federal drug trafficking attorney at Combs Law now at (314) 900-HELP or contact us for a free, confidential consultation regarding the specifics of your case.