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If you have recently been charged with a drug related offense, you need to work with an attorney. A qualified legal professional could help mitigate the impact of a Chattanooga intent to distribute charge. These charges have long-lasting and harmful affects that should be mitigated to preserve your well-being. For the help you need, contact an attorney who could work and advocate for you.
Intent to distribute charges in Chattanooga, whether charged at the beginning of the case or later on, take what would be a misdemeanor charge and turns it into a more serious felony charge. This often includes a significantly higher bond at the beginning of the case, making it more difficult for the individual to be released from jail and for their attorney to have the charge reduced to a pre-trial diversion offense.
Possession with intent to distribute is often charged in the context of the sale of drugs, particularly if the individual is arrested with a large sum of cash and quantities of narcotics beyond what would be reasonable for personal consumption. Officers who observe cash, a large quantity of drugs, and perhaps other drug-related objects often initiate the case as possession with intent to distribute or drug manufacturing, which is less common. In the United States, drugs are typically grown or manufactured elsewhere; however, in Tennessee, one drug that is often manufactured is methamphetamine. Charges of drug manufacturing with intent to distribute are often the underlying context in Tennessee for methamphetamine labs or facilities attempting to produce significant quantities to sell.
An individual might buy enough drugs for a group of friends and not necessarily intend to sell them to those people, but the drugs are intended to be delivered for later consumption. The individual might have an encounter with police wherein the drugs are discovered, and while the individual has no cash, baggies, or scales, they have enough drugs that the police suspect that they are for more than just casual or personal consumption. In this circumstance, the impact of a Chattanooga intent to distribute charge could adversely affect the alleged perpetrator’s chances of a successful courtroom outcome.
The penalties that could result from a distribution charge is a leap from a misdemeanor to a felony charge. A violation of possession with intent to distribute in Tennessee, with respect to schedule one controlled substances like cocaine, methamphetamine, or LSD, means that the individual has committed a Class B felony, and they may be facing a fine of up to $100,000 and up to 15 years in prison. An individual convicted of possession with intent to distribute in a Class D felony case would serve a minimum of 180 days in prison and could face fines as high as $50,000.
Oftentimes, possession with intent cases or trafficking cases begin with police investigation. Officers might receive a tip from someone charged with drug possession about where they obtain drugs. Police may then:
They do this with intent of gathering significant concrete evidence of the quantity or presence of drug paraphernalia, scales, or baggies to increase the likelihood that they are able to prove intent and obtain a conviction.
These investigations could last from days to months and have a plethora of evidence and witnesses. Not every case requires that level of detail, but it is imperative for individual involved in such cases to work with an experienced lawyer who knows how to successfully navigate robust police investigation in a possession with intent to distribute case.
The impact of a Chattanooga intent to distribute charge could cause long-lasting ramifications that carry not only harsh consequences, but also lasting stigma. If you have been charged recently with a drug-related distribution charge, then working with an experienced attorney is imperative to your future wellbeing. Reach out to an attorney today.