What You Need To Know If Charged With a Federal Drug Crime
A federal drug charge is a serious criminal matter. Crimes under federal law can carry greater punishment than under state law, with numerous sentence enhancing factors and no possibility of parole. They require a great deal of review and preparation. This article will look at the types of drugs and criminal activities subject to federal prosecution, the possible punishment, and ways to challenge or resolve a federal drug charge.
Federal drug crimes are classified in the Controlled Substances Act, a 1970 law that establishes enforcement and regulation of drugs, and defines the criminal penalties for unauthorized use or possession. The Act categorizes drugs into Get Xanax Online five groups, or schedules. Schedule I drugs carry the greatest penalties, and include drugs such as heroin, marijuana, and LSD. These are considered to have the greatest potential for abuse. Schedule II drugs also carry a high potential for abuse but have some accepted use in medicine. Buy Xanax Online These can include cocaine, methadone, and methamphetamine. Schedule III, IV, and V drugs have, in descending order, less potential for abuse and some accepted use in medicine. Drugs in these schedules include anabolic steroids, Valium, Xanax, and Codeine.
Federal drug crimes can include a wide range of activities such as possession, sale, manufacture, distribution, trafficking, importation, and prescription fraud. Also included are attempt and conspiracy to commit these offenses. Any type of manufacturing, distributing, or possessing with the intent to distribute illegal drugs is a crime. It is also a crime to operate a facility for the purpose of manufacturing or distributing illegal drugs. Being involved with others who are distributing narcotics, even if the involvement if minimal, can be a crime as a continuing criminal enterprise. It is important to understand that federal drug statutes criminalize many types of activities.