Maryland Drug Crime Lawyers

With Law Offices in Lanham, Waldorf, Frederick, Lexington Park, Rockville, and Annapolis

A drug crime charge is extremely anxiety provoking, making you feel as though your life has been thrown into chaos beyond your control. Unfortunately, a drug charge can do just that, wreaking havoc to your personal life, professional life, and reputation. It can even take away your freedom.

If you’re reading this, you may have been charged with a drug crime. You are probably scared and worried about going to jail. You need someone who can fight for your rights and help you reduce your charges, or if possible, get them dropped entirely.

Our Maryland drug crime lawyers are here to help. We offer free legal advice. Call today.

Don’t wait and roll the dice with a public defender. Our attorney will answer your questions in a free legal consultation.

Narcotics charges can be tough to fight — give yourself a chance for the best possible outcome with a tough defense provided by Alpert Schreyer, LLC. Our Maryland drug crime lawyers are highly knowledgeable in criminal defense, with more than three decades of experience practicing law in Maryland. We are committed to protecting our clients’ constitutional rights and providing them with an aggressive and complete defense in court.

Our Approach to Your Drug Crime Case

As former prosecutors, the drug crime lawyers at Alpert Schreyer understand that law enforcement doesn’t always follow correct or ethical procedures involving drugs. We know when police need a search warrant, and we know how to recognize when they’ve illegally obtained evidence.

We’ll use our knowledge to go over your case step by step, looking for facts that allow us to get your charges dismissed or reduced. If necessary, we’ll take your case to trial to defend your legal rights.

At Alpert Schreyer, our Maryland drug crime lawyers have represented defendants in drug cases ranging from simple possession to large trafficking cases.

Types of drug cases we handle include:

• Possession
• Cultivation
• Prescription drug fraud
• Misdemeanors
• Drug trafficking
• Intent to distribute
• Transportation
• Manufacturing
• Marijuana offenses
• Cocaine offenses
• Drug sales
• DUI of drugs

Misdemeanor vs. Felony Drug Charges

Maryland typically classifies drug crimes as either misdemeanors or felonies. In general, misdemeanors are punishable by as long as one year in jail (plus fines or other penalties) and felonies are punishable by more than a year of jail time.

The severity of the drug crime – and thus the charge – is based on:

• The classification of the drug that the state accused you of possessing
• The amount of the drug that the state accused you of possessing
• Whether the state charged you with simple drug possession, drug possession with intent to distribute, or drug trafficking

Drug Charges and Your Future

The effects of a drug conviction are so significant that they’re difficult to adequately catalog. The financial costs are obviously a burden, but that’s only the beginning. If your conviction leads to prison time, the consequences are likely to escalate. A prison sentence not only socially stigmatizes you but can also debilitate you emotionally and psychologically.

Jail time is likely to damage your self-esteem and even leave you with a diminished sense of self-worth that most people find difficult to overcome. A prison sentence will also prove extremely difficult for your family, who likely depends on you on a variety of levels, including love and financial support. A drug conviction that leads to jail time is exceedingly painful for the entire family, but the hardship doesn’t end there.

A drug conviction will almost certainly threaten your current job and can damage your future earning potential. Even if they don’t have strict policies against it, many employers don’t like employing someone with a drug conviction. If you lose your job because you were unable to come to work when arrested, finding a new one is likely to be challenging.

Many employers perform background checks and won’t give you a second look if your record contains a drug conviction. In addition, the government can revoke or suspend certain kinds of professional licensure upon conviction of a crime.

What to Expect

While it may feel as though you can’t do much about your situation while your dedicated Maryland drug crime lawyers fight for a favorable resolution to your case, it can help to have a working understanding of how the case is likely to proceed.

Preparing for Your Court Date

Your attorney is likely to advise you to begin attending drug abuse counseling and treatment before your court date. This is going to be in your best interest all the way around and contribute to making a favorable impression on the court. The court will most likely require you to do so in the end anyway, and it can help demonstrate that you take the matter seriously.

Your defense attorney will gather the evidence associated with your case, including things like police reports, witness statements, and lab analyses, and will use this information to help build your defense. Common defenses for a drug possession charge (the most common charge) are whether you knew you possessed an illegal drug and whether the police conducted a proper search and seizure.

Your Court Date

After building the strongest strategy for your case, your legal team will educate you about the potential outcomes of your case. They will also thoroughly prepare you for what to expect in court, how to dress for court, and how to conduct yourself in court.

Probation

If convicted, you may receive probation in lieu of jail time — but with the threat of jail time if you fail to thoroughly comply with the terms of your probation. Your defense attorney will make sure you understand what’s at stake and how to remain compliant with your probation, including regular visits with your probation officer.

Don’t Go it Alone. Call Us for Help

It’s important to remember that there are various ways your lawyer can approach your charges and build you a case. Jail is not a foregone conclusion. Give yourself the best chance to get your charges reduced or dismissed by retaining an experienced lawyer to protect your rights. Don’t take chances with your freedom and your future. Call the Maryland drug crime lawyers at Alpert Schreyer for your free legal consultation and find out what we can do to help.

Maryland Drug Crime Client Story

We are sharing a client story below to help you better know what to expect in your case. Though we’ve changed the names and specifics to protect client privacy, you’ll find value in the information. Please read it through, then call our Maryland drug crime lawyers to set up a free legal consultation. We’d love to discuss your claim.

Adya Dara shivered as she drove home through the streets of Rockville, Maryland on a chilly March evening not so long ago. She tried the old car’s fan again, but the air it blew was still cold. She turned it back off, hoping it would be warmer when she tried again in a few minutes. She watched her breath come out in white puffs as she caught yet another red light, glad she’d grabbed her winter coat from the hall closet on her way out. She wondered when it would warm back up to the uncharacteristically mild temperatures that had graced the city the week before.

The light turned green and Adya felt her stomach clench, intent on reminding herself not to stray too far from a bathroom. As if she could forget her life had been plagued by Crohn’s disease since college, she thought, shaking her head. She’d be home in half an hour — if she could keep moving.

At first, she’d been relieved just to have a diagnosis. Her Crohn’s had started out in the mild-to-moderate range, with bouts of abdominal pain and frequent trips to the bathroom. It was around the time of her sophomore midterms, and she’d written it off as pre-test nerves. Only, her symptoms had continued to persist through finals and into the summer. Then, her sister was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, and she suggested Adya get tested. Sure enough, she had it, too.

After her diagnosis, Adya had done all she could to minimize her symptoms. She made changes to her diet, drank lots of water, and minimized her caffeine intake. She’d also started taking medication, which wasn’t cheap.

Even with careful attention to managing her condition, her symptoms had gotten worse, until they were regularly pushing into the “moderate to severe” zone. With the weight loss, chronic pain, and exhaustion that had become her constant companions, Adya finally turned to a medical marijuana dispensary for relief.

Five years ago, the idea of smoking pot would have made Adya laugh. She’d always been the honor student who followed all the rules. Her concept of someone who smoked pot was decidedly in rebel territory. But to her great relief, it helped, especially with the nausea.

Traffic was dense as she pulled up to another red light, and she worried she’d be stuck in her car and need a bathroom before she could get home. Distracting herself, she tried the old heater again. Thankfully, this time it kicked out warm air. She relaxed as she directed the vents toward her, but then her eyes again registered her winter coat and felt a stab of panic.

Did I leave my marijuana in my other coat? Was it at the office?

She’d picked up a new 10 oz bag from the dispensary two days before during lunch, when she’d been wearing her spring jacket. Her hand dove into the right pocket and came out with an old bag that was far from 10 grams…

She vaguely remembered a “good” week back in January when she hadn’t needed her entire bag. She’d had a little left over, maybe three grams, four, max. She must have left it in her winter coat. The way things were going with her stomach these days, she couldn’t imagine forgetting about her supply. But where was her new bag?

Her panic subsided as she remembered she had tossed her spring jacket in the back seat, just in case the day warmed up (it hadn’t). She made a mental note to keep her marijuana allotment in her purse from now on. She was never without her purse.

A horn honked behind her, snapping Adya out of her thoughts. The light was green. Startled, she hit the gas as the light changed and found herself in the middle of the intersection as it turned red. Stuck, she hit the brake uncertainly, forced to choose continuing forward or going back. A glance at the rude hand signal from the driver stuck at the light behind her quickly told her she must go forward. She hit the gas and surged through the intersection amidst honking from the cross traffic that cut off the view behind her.

A moment later her car was surrounded by flashing lights as a police cruiser pulled up to her bumper. Adya was pulled over for running a red light and “erratic driving.” Before she knew what was happening, she found herself being searched while she stood near the hood of the police car. The officer found the small bag of marijuana in her right pocket.

Adya explained that it was to help her with her Crohn’s disease, and she told the officers her medical card was in her purse. In response, she was ushered into the patrol car to wait while her vehicle was searched. The officers found her new bag of pot in the pocket of her spring jacket in the back seat and Adya was arrested for possession of over 10 grams of marijuana.

Terrified, Adya called her parents from jail, who then called the drug crime lawyers at Alpert Schreyer. Attorney Christian Hartman sat down with Adya in an interview room three hours later.

What happens now?

As soon as the door closed behind the exiting officer, Adya summarized all that had happened and asked, “What’s going to happen now? When can I go home?”

“We’re going to get to work on your bail, Ms. Dara,” said Attorney Hartman. “You will probably be arraigned tomorrow morning, which means —”

“Wait, what?” Adya said, her voice breaking as tears ran freely down her face. “I can’t be in here overnight! Please. I have Crohn’s disease. I’m in pain and need access to a bathroom.”

Don’t speak to anyone in the jail about your case

“I will find out about getting you to the infirmary for an evaluation,” said Attorney Hartman, making a note. “In the meantime, until your arraignment, don’t speak to anyone in the jail about your case. You are very vulnerable right now, and you may be surprised to find seemingly friendly people trying to engage you in conversation. Don’t be drawn in. The people here are not your friends. They are looking for enough snippets of truth about you to string together something they can offer the prosecutor in exchange for a break in their own cases.”

“That’s disgusting,” said Adya.

“It is, but unfortunately, that’s the reality of jail,” said Christian. “Think about how much false testimony can confuse a jury should an inmate end up taking the stand for the prosecution in your case. Just hang in there until tomorrow’s arraignment.”

Respect the court’s time

“The goal tomorrow is to arrange for your bail and get you out. You’ll be given your court date for your first pre-trial hearing, and we’ll get to work on your case. What you need to remember about your next court appearance after tomorrow is to be there and be on time,” Attorney Christian said.

“I realize that sounds pretty straightforward but respecting the court’s time is crucial to your case. These people don’t know you, and unfortunately when drugs are involved, people often make assumptions. They are likely to pre-judge you. Don’t give them any reason to doubt your reliability or character. Just be where you are supposed to be and be prompt,” Christian said.

“There are a number of ways we can approach your case. One is by making the argument that the crime did not happen and the police are mistaken,” said Attorney Christian. “We won’t be able to go there, in that the total amount of marijuana in your possession was over 10 grams.

“We can, however, look at the approach of ‘yes, the crime occurred, but there are mitigating factors.’ In your case, you have a medical marijuana card. You thought you had the 10 grams with you from your recent trip to the dispensary when the additional 4 grams was found in your winter coat that you had forgotten about.

“It is a true and explainable situation, though the total is still more than 10 grams. Now, the fact that the police had no probable cause to search you or your vehicle is something we can also address. Did the officer explain your rights?”

“No, come to think of it. He just asked me to step out and said they had to make sure I didn’t have any weapons. They searched me and found the first baggie, which was way less than 10 grams. I told the officer about my card but the next thing I knew, I was in the back of the police car.”

Don’t speak to the police or prosecution

“Okay, well, we will challenge that for sure. If he read you your rights, it will be on his body cam,” said Hartman. “I assume they tried to question you before I got here. Did you speak to the police at all?”

“Only right after they found the old bag in my winter coat. I said the truth — I didn’t realize it was in my pocket from last winter. That was my winter coat, and I grabbed it on the fly today.”

“Okay. Make sure you say nothing more at all to them now that you have an attorney, okay? I’m working on your behalf and will help you navigate this process to protect your rights.”

“Okay,” said Adya.

Don’t vent about your case on social media

“Once you get out on bail, Ms. Dara, it’s important that you don’t discuss your case at all on social media. It can feel comforting to vent and declare your innocence, but it’s critical not to put any information out there that can be used by the prosecution. Social accounts are a public forum, and if it’s out there, they’ll find it. It’s best to stay off social media until your case is concluded.”

Don’t turn to family or friends for legal advice

“This brings us to not looking to friends and family for advice. They will understandably want to help but asking them for advice puts too much pressure on them, and they are not likely to have the knowledge to be helpful.

“In addition, the more you say, the more there is out there that can be used against you. Your friends, even your parents, can be called on to testify for the prosecution. Spare them as much stress as possible by saving your conversations about your case for your legal team. We are here to advise you and help,” said Attorney Hartman.

Do not flee the area

“One last thing. When you get out, do not leave town,” said Hartman. Holding up a hand at her eye roll, he said, “That may sound obvious, but people sometimes get overwhelmed with the need to get away after an arrest — even just to a friend’s house in the next town, or up to New York City for the weekend.

“You must be mindful of not leaving the area. Not because you’d actually flee your trial, but because of how the prosecution will make it seem if you are caught leaving town. Don’t give them anything to use against you — because they will if you give them the chance.”

Adya was true to her word in following all of Attorney Hartman’s instructions. He built Adya a strong medical marijuana defense, and the charges for drug possession were dropped before trial. She paid a fine for running a red light and was free to return to her life.

Call Our Maryland Drug Crime Lawyers Today

If you have been arrested for a drug crime in Maryland, don’t take chances with your future. We defend clients throughout the state of Maryland and in Washington DC. With offices in Bowie, Frederick, Lexington Park, Prince Frederick, Rockville, and Waldorf, we’ve got a location that can work for you. Call on Alpert Schreyer, LLC to protect your constitutional rights and bring you the best possible result in your case. Reach out today for your free legal consultation.