Drug Charges
Why Hire a Chandler Drug Defense Lawyer?
At Shell & Nermyr PLLC, you will be represented directly by a firm partner, either Chad Shell or Mark Nermyr, bringing over years of individual trial experience to your defense. Chad and Mark have gotten hundreds of drug charges dismissed and thrown out of local courts.
When facing serious drug offenses in Chandler, you need an experienced, aggressive criminal defense attorney whom East Valley prosecutors and judges respect.If you or a loved one is facing drug charges or under investigation in the East Valley, contact the attorneys at Shell & Nermyr PLLC immediately at 480-775-4800. Evening and weekend appointments are available at our Chandler office, and we offer flexible payment plans in most cases.
Fighting to Get Drug Charges Dismissed in Chandler, AZ
Drug charges in Arizona carry life-altering penalties. These range from a class 1 misdemeanor for possession of drug paraphernalia to a class 2 felony with a mandatory five-year minimum prison sentence for the sale of methamphetamine.
If you have been arrested in Chandler, Phoenix, or surrounding Maricopa County communities, contact our legal team today. It takes a seasoned trial attorney who knows Chandler Municipal Court and Maricopa County superior courts to properly analyze your case for critical suppression issues.
Often, local police officers violate constitutional rights by conducting illegal vehicle searches or executing traffic stops without reasonable suspicion. The defense attorneys at Shell & Nermyr PLLC have gotten hundreds of drug cases completely dismissed and thrown out by filing aggressive suppression motions. We fight to hold law enforcement accountable and protect your future right here in Chandler.
Drug charges range from:
- Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, class 1 Misdemeanor
- Possession of Marijuana, a class 6 Felony
- Possession of Narcotic Drugs (Cocaine or Heroin), class 4 Felony
- Possession of Dangerous Drugs (Methamphetamine), class 4 Felony
- Possession of Marijuana for Sale (less than 2 pounds), a class 4 Felony
- Possession of Marijuana for Sale (more than 2 pounds but less than 4 pounds), a class 3 Felony
- Possession of Marijuana for Sale (more than 4 pounds), a class 2 Felony
- Possession of Narcotic Drugs for Sale, a class 2 Felony
- Possession of Dangerous Drugs for Sale, a class 2 Felony (mandatory 5 to 15 years in prison)
- Possession of Prescription Drugs is a very complicated and technical area; the charges can range from a class 1 Misdemeanor to a class 2 Felony depending on the prescription drug.
Simple Possession
Possession charges often stem from simple traffic stops: police officers, who do not regularly smoke marijuana, can easily smell the distinct odor of marijuana when conducting a traffic stop. The Supreme Court of Arizona has reaffirmed that the odor of marijuana (burnt or unburnt) provides probable cause to a police officer to search a person’s vehicle, home or person. Therefore, do not smoke marijuana in your car because the smell gives the officer the right to search your car; do not smoke marijuana with the door to your home open as it will give an officer the right to search your home without a search warrant.
Drug Sales Charges
Drug sales cases usually stem from longer police investigations. Either the police are tipped off by an informant or a citizen complains about unusual activity at a location. Drug investigations can last anywhere from two weeks to a year or even longer in some cases. Some of the police tactics used in an investigation are the use of a confidential informant (snitch), wiretaps, pole cameras, physical surveillance, traffic stops on people leaving the location, and reverse buys. A reversed buy is when the police are actually selling drugs to a buyer.
In simple possession cases the attorneys at Shell & Nermyr can almost always obtain a deferred prosecution for their clients. A deferred prosecution is usually conducted at TASC in which the client is randomly drug tested, pays some fees, and attends some counseling in exchange the state dismisses the charges after a period of time. There is no better outcome than a dismissal. The attorneys at Shell & Nermyr have obtained hundreds of dismissals for their clients by way of getting the evidence suppressed or via TASC.
If you or someone you care about is facing drug charges, contact the attorneys at Shell & Nermyr immediately 480-775-4800. You or the person you care about will be personally represented by Chad Shell or Mark Nermyr. You can even text Shell & Nermyr at 602-284-0247.
The case will never be handled by an inexperienced associate or paralegal: the case will always be handled by one of the partners with their over years of experience representing people facing drug charges.
480-775-4800