Orange County Drug Crime Attorney

Criminal Lawyer for Drug Charges in Orange County, California

There are numerous types of drug crimes for which a person may face charges, including offenses involving illegal narcotics as well as prescription drugs. Both state and federal laws prohibit the unlawful possession, distribution, sale, trafficking, manufacture, cultivation, transportation, importation and smuggling of drugs throughout the U.S. The severity of criminal charges and potential penalties that a defendant may face will vary depending on the nature of the offense as well as the type of drug and the amount.

Are you interested in learning more about Orange County drug charges? Have you or a loved one been arrested for a drug crime of any kind? At the Law Offices of Fred Thiagarajah, we are here to help. We are dedicated to protecting our clients' rights in the face of state, federal and juvenile drug crime allegations, and we offer a free initial consultation with an experience attorney to help you get started in obtaining the legal protection you deserve.

About Drug Crimes

A drug crime may involve any of a number of actions, all related to substances that are controlled by the government. These substances are controlled because they have the potential for abuse or to cause injury when taken in the wrong amounts. Marijuana, heroin, ecstasy, PCP, MDMA, cocaine, and methamphetamines are all examples of drugs prohibited by federal law. Additional substances that may be involved in state or federal drug crime cases include prescription drugs such as: Vicodin, Xanax, OxyContin and Valium. A defendant may face criminal charges related to the use or possession of any of these substances, as well as charges for distributing, trafficking or importing these. Prescription fraud is another type of drug crime that relates to unlawfully or fraudulently obtaining a prescription drug.

In Orange County, a drug offense may be classified as a felony or a misdemeanor. Crimes that are considered lesser offenses related to drugs most often involve smaller amounts of drugs or controlled substances that are considered less dangerous, such as those that are not highly addictive and may have some medicinal value. For example, possession of a small amount of marijuana is typically a misdemeanor offense and may result in no imprisonment at all. Possession of large amounts of cocaine or heroin, however, or the sale of Ecstasy that causes the death of a person who uses it may mean that the defendant will face felony charges and possibly life in prison.

Assessing the severity of your drug charges is an important part of the legal services an attorney can provide. By reviewing the matter, your lawyer can determine what you may be up against and can begin planning the best course of action to challenge these charges.

Criminal Defense for Drug-Related Crimes

Although providing effective criminal defense representation for drug-related crimes is not easy, it is certainly possible. By conducting a thorough investigation and building an aggressive legal strategy on a defendant's behalf, an experienced Orange County drug crime lawyer can work to help you avoid a criminal conviction or possibly formal charges altogether in some cases. For example, your attorney may discover that you were the victim of an illegal search and seizure or that you were unlawfully arrested. In discovering this, your lawyer may then be able to file a motion to suppress evidence against you. In drug crime cases, the drug evidence itself is a key part of the prosecution's case. Having this evidence suppressed may have a significant and positive impact on the final outcome of your case.

Contact an Orange County drug crime attorney at the Law Offices of Fred Thiagarajah today for a free consultation regarding your case.