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With the experience of a defense attorney at your side, you could fight the charges that the state or federal government has brought against you. Do not let your rights slip to the wayside, preserve them with the help of a Chattanooga drug manufacturing lawyer today. If you are facing drug manufacturing charges, get in touch with a seasoned drug attorney as soon as possible.
Drug manufacturing under federal law is defined as an individual participating in any part of the process involved in creating any illegal narcotic. Manufacturing acts could include simply mixing together chemicals to create cocaine or growing marijuana. The act of cooking methamphetamine is a substantial step in the manufacture of drugs. Even offering to help others in the manufacturing process is enough evidence to face a drug manufacturing charge.
Contributing to any step in the manufacturing process, whether by growing drugs, packaging drugs, or otherwise, is enough to face a full drug manufacturing charge. Manufacturing charges are not reserved for the individuals directing an organization or producing illegal narcotics in Tennessee. Each person who is a link in the supply chain producing illegal drugs could face a drug manufacturing charge. Together, alleged offenders could be charged with conspiracy to manufacture drugs.
Having drug manufacturing attorney in Chattanooga who is adept at isolating innocuous individual acts based on the evidence could distance an alleged offender from accusations of manufacturing drugs and cast doubt on the individual’s ability to do so, which could help them avoid a conviction for drug manufacturing if they were only a small and perhaps unknowing cog in a larger scheme to manufacture drugs.
Drug manufacturing as an offense is handled collectively, typically with other statutes outlining the illegality of distributing, manufacturing, or trafficking illegal narcotics like marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and opiates. Drug manufacturing is another way that the government charges illegal acts related to illegal drugs in Tennessee and federally.
At the federal level, 21 United States Code 841 states that it is illegal for a person to knowingly and intentionally manufacture, distribute, dispense, or possess with the intent to manufacture, distribute, or dispense a counterfeit or controlled substance. The potential penalties faced by individuals under these federal drug laws are severe and may even trigger mandatory minimum sentences for federal drug trafficking charges if the individual possessed a certain amount or attempted to manufacture a certain amount of illegal narcotics.
Possession of lesser amounts could keep individuals away from minimum mandatory sentences. A crucial area is the degree to which evidence is admissible and the quantity of evidence, which could determine if the individual will face mandatory minimum sentences.
Drug manufacturing charges do not often differentiate between individuals responsible for multiple levels in the manufacturing scheme and individuals who only participated in a single part of the process. The level of evidence necessary to be charged is quite low, as a probable cause of manufacturing illegal narcotics may lead to the individuals facing serious drug manufacturing charges. The steps that each individual has taken in the manufacturing process and the level of their involvement determine what they are convicted of, but even involvement in a single, relatively insignificant step, like watering marijuana plants or acquiring pseudoephedrine to manufacture methamphetamine, would likely land them with serious drug manufacturing charges and a difficult case to defend.
Individuals can face federal drug manufacturing charges in Chattanooga even if the activity is permitted under local or state laws but not under federal law. Controlled substances require strict controls and licensure to manufacture controlled substances, such as prescription drugs, and intense regulation is required to manufacture them.
Tennessee has also not yet legalized marijuana like some other states have. There is not a great deal of differentiation between federal law and Tennessee law when addressing the illegality of controlled substances, including marijuana. If Tennessee were to legalize its production as some other states have, like Colorado, Oregon, and California, there would be a conflict with Tennessee’s state laws and federal law. Federal agents could potentially arrest an individual who is manufacturing legally under local law for the violation of the federal law. In practice, the federal government has seen fit to ignore the conflict between some state’s laws and federal laws regarding marijuana; however, there is no guarantee that the current federal approach may continue, especially under more conservative administrations.
Chattanooga law enforcement takes drug manufacturing investigations and cases seriously, as they do with drug conspiracies, distribution, and trafficking. They investigate allegations of drug manufacturing comprehensively and employ all tools available to them when preparing to make an arrest in a serious drug case.
Law enforcement may use criminal informants, wiretaps, video surveillance, and other electronic surveillance to build their case and ensure that the prosecution has a clear path to success. However, local police are often not as well trained or well versed in the nuances of the law, which could pave the way for evidentiary missteps in the course of an investigation and result in constitutional challenges in the drug manufacturing case.
Local law enforcement may make critical mistakes that can be pivotal in a drug manufacturing case, but an experienced drug manufacturing lawyer in Chattanooga will understand the proper procedures that must be followed during an investigation and the compelling constitutional defenses available to individuals charged with this offense.
If you have been arrested and charged with the serious allegation of manufacturing a controlled substance, then you need to reach out to an attorney. A Chattanooga drug manufacturing lawyer could help you mitigate the consequences of a conviction and work to preserve your future. Reach out today.