Fort Worth Drug Trafficking Lawyer
Understanding Your Drug Crime Charge
Texas Health and Safety Code §481.112 describes the crime of drug trafficking as any act in which a person knowingly sells, purchases, manufactures, delivers or brings into the state, with actual or constructive knowledge, a controlled substance. Under this definition, drug trafficking encompasses a wide variety of criminal offenses.
The severity of the charges—and thus, the punishment—will ultimately depend on the type and amount of the substance being trafficked, however, as the case could either be handled on a state or federal level.
While Texas imposes strict penalties on those who have been convicted of this particular drug crime, a federal conviction could prove to be much more consequential. For this reason, it is highly recommended that you discuss your case with the Fort Worth criminal attorney at The Law Office of Samuel R. Terry, P.C. if you or someone you love has been charged with a drug trafficking offense in the state.
Penalties for the Crime of Drug Trafficking
If you have been charged with drug trafficking on a federal level, you could be facing some pretty steep penalties. According to the sentencing chart that has been outlined by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the severity of an individual's penalties would be dependent on the amount and the type of drug that they have been accused of trafficking. Additionally, enhanced sentencing may apply if another person was seriously injured or killed during the commission of the crime.
For this reason, we encourage you to review the information below:
Schedule V Substances
- Any Amount of a Schedule V Substance
- First Offense: Up to 1 year imprisonment & $100,000 in fines
- Second Offense: Up to 4 years imprisonment & $200,000 in fines
Schedule IV Substances
- Any Amount of a Schedule IV Substance
- First Offense: Up to 5 years imprisonment & $250,000 in fines
- Second Offense: Up to 10 years imprisonment & $500,000 in fines
- Fentanyl (40 – 399 grams mixture)
- First Offense: 5 to 40 years imprisonment & $5,000,000 in fines
- Second Offense: 10 years to life imprisonment & $8,000,000 in fines
Schedule III Substances
- Any Amount of a Schedule III Substance
- First Offense: Up to 10 years imprisonment & $500,000 in fines
- Second Offense: Up to 20 years imprisonment & $1,000,000 in fines
Schedule II Substances
- Any Amount of a Schedule II Substance
- First Offense: Up to 20 years imprisonment & $1,000,000 in fines
- Second Offense: Up to 30 years imprisonment & $2,000,000 in fines
- Cocaine (500 – 4,999 grams mixture)
- Cocaine Base (28 – 279 grams mixture)
- Meth (5 – 49 grams pure) / (50 – 499 grams mixture)
- PCP (10 – 99 grams pure) / (100 – 999 grams mixture)
- First Offense: 5 to 40 years imprisonment & $5,000,000 in fines
- Second Offense: 10 years to life imprisonment & $8,000,000 in fines
Schedule I Substances
- Any Amount of a Schedule I Substance
- First Offense: Up to 20 years imprisonment & $1,000,000 in fines
- Second Offense: Up to 30 years imprisonment & $2,000,000 in fines
- Fentanyl Analogue (10 – 99 grams mixture)
- Heroin (100 – 999 grams mixture)
- LSD (1 – 9 grams mixture)
- First Offense: 5 to 40 years imprisonment & $5,000,000 in fines
- Second Offense: 10 years to life imprisonment & $8,000,000 in fines
Marijuana, Hashish & Hashish Oil
- Marijuana (100 – 999 kilograms)
- First Offense: 5 to 40 years imprisonment & $5,000,000 in fines
- Second Offense: 10 years to life imprisonment & $8,000,000 in fines
- Marijuana (50 – 99 kilograms)
- Hashish (10 kilograms or more)
- Hashish Oil (1 kilogram or more)
- First Offense: Up to 20 years imprisonment & $1,000,000 in fines
- Second Offense: Up to 30 years imprisonment & $2,000,000 in fines
Reasons to Choose Our Ft. Worth Criminal Attorney
As soon as you know you are under investigation for drug trafficking, you should waste no time in contacting the Fort Worth drug crime lawyer at The Law Office of Samuel R. Terry, P.C. As you may know, you could be facing millions of dollars in fines and life behind bars, so we encourage you to take action in the interest of your defense as soon as possible.