What penalties are associated with cocaine possession charges?

Drugs can play a variety of roles in the lives of different Louisiana residents. For some, drugs may be an addiction that plagues them or someone they love. For others, drugs may be a recreational pastime that happens to be illegal. Still others may knowingly engage in the sale and distribution of drugs as a means of making a living.

In particular, the Louisiana laws related to the possession, sale, and trafficking of cocaine are very strict. Under state law cocaine charges that result in convictions can carry penalties of decades in jail and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines. The following paragraphs discuss some of the penalties a person could face if he experiences a cocaine arrest and subsequent conviction.

With regard to cocaine possession, penalties vary depending upon the amount of the substance the individual is found to be possessing. From as few as five years of imprisonment for possessing less than 28 grams of the drug to 60 years in prison for possessing 400 or more grams of the substance, cocaine possession charges can result in very serious consequences in the state.

Penalties related to the sale of cocaine are even more stringent. If a person is convicted of selling cocaine to a minor, he could spend the rest of his life in jail. Penalties double even when the buying party to a cocaine transaction is a minor and at least three years younger than his or her seller.

Those who face trafficking convictions that include making cocaine can be sentenced to prison without the possibility of parole. As demonstrated by this snapshot of Louisiana cocaine laws, convictions related to cocaine drug offenses can be very onerous. To learn more about defending oneself from cocaine-related charges, resources may be available through local criminal defense attorneys.

New Orleans Criminal Defense New Orleans Criminal Attorney

Address: 505 Weyer St
Gretna, LA 70053

Phone: (504) 368-8440

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