Due to more heroin being brought into New Jersey, the government is mobilizing its resources in an effort to hinder the influx. Heroin possession and distribution are both major crimes with significant punishments.
With substantial volumes of heroin making its way into the NJ streets, heroin has become easier to buy and more hazardous. Heroin in New Jersey ends up being purer than typical heroin product found elsewhere. The combination of purity and price leads to a dangerous blend that is producing heroin dependence.
Being charged with heroin possession or distribution needs to be taken seriously and needs a carefully constructed legal game plan. Your rights should not be thrown aside just because you have been charged with a crime.
Charged for a heroin drug possession crime in Surf City, New Jersey? Call Villani & DeLuca today to understand your legal options.
Treated as a Schedule 1 Controlled Dangerous Substance according to New Jersey law, possession of heroin is by law a 3rd degree offense. A heroin possession conviction can end with up to a 5 year prison sentence and a fine of up to $35,000.
Are you struggling with heroin addiction in NJ? Heroin is a health crisis, particularly among adolescents. If you were charged with drug possession, get help from NJ heroin defense lawyers.
Partner Carmine Villani, Esq. has been defending clients for heroin possession and distribution crimes since Villani & DeLuca opened in 1996. Mr. Villani has worked as a criminal prosecutor, providing him with a perspective on fighting drug charges that not many criminal defense attorneys possess.
You should take every opportunity to protect yourself from a heroin charge. Your future job prospects will also be negatively impacted if found guilty on heroin charges. Your life as you know it can be much more rewarding if you can lessen the charges.
The amount of heroin found on you and the location of your arrest combine to establish the severity of penalties. Arranging for a qualified criminal attorney on your side is necessary to minimize your sentence and receive a reduced sentence from the state.
Heroin possession does not mean an automatic prison sentence in New Jersey. Pretrial Intervention (PTI) and conditional discharge are two options for first-time offenders. Your criminal defense lawyer can argue that the events leading up to your arrest were illegal and against code.
If you have been arrested for the intent to sell, your sentence will be more serious than possession charges. Heroin possession with the intent to distribute can lead to five years imprisonment and a fine of up to $75,000, with a loss of driver’s license for a period of six months to one year, if found guilty.
Heroin distribution is treated the same as intent to distribute by the state of NJ. 3rd degree heroin distribution involves less than 0.5 ounces of heroin, while quantities more than 5 ounces be a crime in the first degree. A prison term of between 10 and 20 years and a half million dollar fine may be the consequence of a first degree heroin conviction.
Fines and other penalties like prison time are increased substantially when the arrest occurs in or near a school zone, which includes school buses and extends to areas up to 1,000 feet from the building or vehicle. If you are caught in possession of heroin in a designated school zone, there is a fixed prison sentence with fines of up to $150,000 if convicted. Your attorney should be experienced in drug crimes so that your drug charges are kept to a minimum if found guilty.
Drug arrests for heroin possession or distribution do not need to be the end of your life as you know it. Defend your future with a well-thought out defense strategy. Charges may be dropped or minimized with a compelling defense.
Without probable cause, a policeman is constricted in what he may search. A heroin defense attorney will inform you based on what occurred prior to and during your arrest.
One possible approach to avoiding a trial may be to pursue a conditional discharge, depending on your criminal record. Conditional discharge is a way of evading a criminal record under the assumption that you will go on probation.
If you are a first-time offender, jail time is improbable if your lawyer and the state agree to a Pretrial Intervention (PTI). The rehabilitation program promotes recovery rather than imprisonment and allows defendants to undergo drug treatment therapy as a way to prevent further drug-related crimes and arrests in New Jersey.
Talk with the lawyers at Villani & DeLuca in a free discussion in order to discuss your heroin charges. Our NJ Heroin defense lawyers are available 24/7/365. Start arranging your defense in Surf City with a phone call to (732) 965-3350.
