A Port St. Lucie woman is facing several drug charges after being arrested at a home Thursday. Officers using a warrant seized cocaine and prescription drugs at the home. Now the 27-year-old woman is charged with a laundry list of offenses, including possession of cocaine, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, and sale of heroin. Police allege she sold the heroin to an undercover informant.

She’s also charged with 10 counts of possession of a legend drug without a prescription (a legend drug is one that can only be obtained by prescription by federal law) and using a communication device to commit a felony. Additionally, she’s charged with possession of drug equipment. The woman was unable to post the $103,250 bond, and remains in jail. Now she’s in serious need of a Port St. Lucie drug possession criminal lawyer.

Drug cases are more complex than they seem. The police will generally arrest all the occupants of a house in which drugs are found. But under Florida law, possession may be actual, joint, or constructive, and a person is not necessarily guilty just by being in proximity to the drugs. The state must prove the person not only knew the drugs were there, but had the ability to control them. If the state cannot prove this, the case is subject to dismissal.

This is where a good drug possession criminal lawyer comes in. Defending drug charges is complicated, and should be entrusted only to experienced criminal lawyers. Jeffrey Garland has been practicing criminal law since 1985, and is a Port St. Lucie drug possession criminal lawyer with experience handing cases in both state and federal court. He has a track record of successful challenges to drug charges, including improper search and seizure, questionable wiretap warrants, and unreliable undercover informants.

In 2014, a man was arrested for drug possession because 9 rocks of cocaine were found on the seat of a lawnmower he was standing by. Garland proved that the lawnmower was in a common area of the duplex where the man lived, and also proved there were several other adults living in the duplex. The state had insufficient evidence of possession, and so the case was dropped.

So, if you or someone you know is in a similar legal situation, and needs a Port St. Lucie drug possession criminal lawyer, be sure to contact our firm at 772-489-2200.