Skip to main content

Drug Offences

Drug offences are common criminal charges.
Being charged does not make you a criminal. Understanding this is an important aspect to us acting as your legal representative.

Cultivation of Marijuana

Although the federal government’s stance on simple possession of small amounts of marijuana may be softening in the future, marijuana grow ops still attract significant potential penalties. There is a strong likelihood that if you are convicted, you will go to jail. The potential penalties can be even greater if the house that you are accused of growing marijuana in is a rental, or if certain modifications have been made to the house.

These charges often involve multiple search warrants, wiretaps, and surveillance of your activities by police officers. It is important to have a lawyer that understands what the police are allowed to do in these situations and how best to defend you if they overstep their authority.

Drug Trafficking

Drug trafficking is a serious offence. You can be charged with trafficking even if you did not have any drugs with you at the time. Trafficking by offer or “holding out” means that you can get charged and sentenced as a drug trafficker without even selling, or possessing, real drugs.

These charges often involve multiple search warrants, wiretaps, and surveillance of your activities by police officers. It is important to have a lawyer that understands what the police are allowed to do in these situations and how best to defend you if they overstep their authority.

We have successfully defended people charged with trafficking a variety of drugs including cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines, MDMA, marijuana and others. Even if the evidence is overwhelming, we can work to minimize the impact that this charge will have on your work, and your freedom.

It is important to get a lawyer involved in these offences from the very beginning. During the first bail hearing, even before all the evidence is in, serious restrictions can be placed on the accused person’s liberty by a judge. It is important to have a lawyer to help negotiate the conditions to allow the accused person to continue their life in as normal manner as possible while waiting for trial.

Possession for the purpose of Trafficking

You can be charged with trafficking if you have a large quantity of drugs, even if did not intend to sell them and no trafficking activity took place. There are a number of circumstances that can lead to this charge including whether you had paraphernalia (such as scales), multiple cell phone, as well as the manner in which the drugs are packaged.

Charges of possession for the purposes of trafficking can carry with it extremely serious penalties including long periods of incarceration. Drug trafficking law is a complex and changing area of law and many of these cases go all the way though the trial process.

These charges often involve multiple search warrants and surveillance of your activities by police officers. It is important to have a lawyer that understands what the police are allowed to do in these situations and how best to defend you if they overstep their authority.

We have successfully defended people charged with trafficking a variety of drugs including cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines, MDMA, marijuana and others. Even if the evidence is overwhelming, we can work to minimize the impact that this charge will have on your work, and your freedom.

It is important to get a lawyer involved in these offences from the very beginning. During the first bail hearing, even before all the evidence is in, serious restrictions can be placed on the accused person’s liberty by a judge. It is important to have a lawyer to help negotiate the conditions to allow the accused person to continue their life in as normal manner as possible while waiting for trial.

Possession of a Controlled Substance

You can be charged with possession if you actually have drugs on your person or in your vehicle when you are searched. You can also be charged with possession even if you do not have the drugs on you, but are in joint possession of them with someone else.

Although you may be tempted to plead guilty to a simple possession of drugs just to “get it over with”, having a drug charge on your criminal record can have long-term consequences for you. These can include an inability to travel to certain destinations and may disqualify you from holding a number of jobs, even years in the future.

Production / Importation of Drugs

Production or importation of drugs can include importing by ordering drugs or precursors ordered to your location from overseas, as well as being stopped at the airport with drugs in your luggage or on your body.

Recently people have also been charged with production of drugs for being in the house when cocaine was being cooked into crack cocaine. This adds the potential of significant jail time to an activity that can be done with small enough amounts of cocaine to qualify as a simple possession otherwise.

Charges of possession for the purposes of trafficking can carry with it extremely serious penalties including long periods of incarceration. Drug trafficking law is a complex and changing area of law and many of these cases go all the way though the trial process.

These charges often involve multiple search warrants, wiretaps, and surveillance of your activities by police officers. It is important to have a lawyer that understands what the police are allowed to do in these situations and how best to defend you if they overstep their authority.

It is important to get a lawyer involved in these offences from the very beginning. During the first bail hearing, even before all the evidence is in, serious restrictions can be placed on the accused person’s liberty by a judge. It is important to have a lawyer to help negotiate the conditions to allow the accused person to continue their life in as normal manner as possible while waiting for trial.

Have you been charged with a drug offence in Alberta?

Contact us today