Arrested for Drug Possession?
Aggressive Criminal Defense in Northern Virginia
The penalties for drug crimes are very harsh — first-time possession of illegal drugs for your own use could spell prison time. With a good lawyer, it may be possible to fight the charges or receive diversion to avoid a conviction.
In 20 years of criminal defense practice, I have handled the full range of drug charges:
- Misdemeanor amount of marijuana
- Felony possession of cocaine, Ecstasy, meth or prescription drugs
- Drug possession with intent to distribute (large quantity)
- Federal conspiracy, trafficking and smuggling charges
Contact the law office of Christopher Finch at 703-383-1150 to find out where you stand. I practice in state and federal courts in Prince William County, Fairfax County, Alexandria City and all other Virginia jurisdictions. Yo hablo español.
Drug Possession and Distribution Charges
Any amount of a controlled Schedule I or Schedule II substance is a felony. Schedule I and II drugs include cocaine, heroin and most other street drugs. There may be mandatory prison sentences in these cases, particularly if they are in federal court. The penalties for conviction depend on the amount of drugs and your prior criminal history.
If this is your first offense, you may qualify for a diversion program. In this type of program, the charge is dismissed after a period of probation, participation in certain classes, passing random drug tests and cooperating with the probation office.
Prosecutors often have no evidence for charges of intent to distribute, other than a certain quantity of drugs. These charges can often be amended to simple possession, which can greatly affect the sentence.
Fighting Your Drug Charges
I will explore all defenses to get your case dismissed, to get evidence suppressed or to fight for you at trial. Did the police have cause for a traffic stop or reasonable suspicion to justify a search? If there were several people in the car, can they prove who the drugs belonged to? Was the search warrant valid? Is the confidential informant reliable?
We can also discuss immunity or reduced charges for your cooperation in a bigger drug trafficking investigation.
Contact my Fairfax office for a free half hour consultation.
Yo Hablo Español — I Speak Spanish
Every legal matter is unique. No attorney can promise a particular result.
