If you are under suspicion for or have been charged with the sale, distribution or trafficking of controlled substances in Pennsylvania, you want to know your rights. Your best option is to retain an attorney as soon as possible. However, there are other steps you can take to protect yourself.
Possession with Intent to Distribute (PWID)
Though you may be arrested for attempting to sell illegal drugs to an undercover police officer, more often than not, drug trafficking charges arise out of a possession charge. You can face a PWID charge for a variety of circumstances:
- Law enforcement officers found you with a substantial amount of controlled substances in your possession, more than police believe could have been for your own personal use
- Police found evidence of drug trafficking at your home, apartment, place of employment or in your vehicle or possession. Items may include scales, large sums of cash, chemicals or other paraphernalia related to drug cultivation or manufacture
- Law enforcement officers claim to have witnessed you selling or dealing illegal drugs
What Must Be Shown to Prove Possession
In Pennsylvania, you can be charged with possession if you have on your person, in your car or in your home either illegal substances or prescription drugs without a valid prescription. As in all criminal cases, the prosecutor must prove all elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. To successfully prosecute you for possession, the state must show that you knowingly and intentionally had control of an illicit or illegal drug. This requires that you knew the drugs were illegal, that you knew the drugs were under your control, and that you specifically intended to either use them or control them.
Contact Laguna Krevsky Rosen, PLLC
At Laguna Krevsky Rosen, PLLC, we provide a free initial consultation to every client. To arrange a private meeting with an experienced Pennsylvania criminal defense attorney, contact us online or call our office at 717-233-5292. Let us help you avoid deportation.
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