Each year, thousands of people in Maricopa County are arrested for various drug crimes. In fact, according to the most recent data from the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission, in 2022, law enforcement arrested almost 20,000 Arizonians for drug crimes. Of course, just because you’ve been arrested for a narcotics offense doesn’t mean you’ll be convicted. However, if you’re hoping to beat a drug case in Tempe, the first step is to understand everything you can about your charges.
At the Law Office of James E. Novak, we have more than two decades of experience defending clients charged with possessing dangerous drugs for sale and other narcotics offenses. Over this time, we’ve realized that when we first meet our clients, they often have a lot of unanswered questions. Below we’ve put together a list of dangerous drugs for sale FAQs to help anyone facing these serious charges better understand what they are facing and what they can do about it.
Possession of Dangerous Drugs for Sale FAQsThe Arizona Criminal Justice Commission keeps track of all Arizona narcotics arrests. The Commission also publishes a report each year, providing the number of prosecutions for each substance. According to the Commission’s 2022 report, law enforcement arrests the most people for methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, and prescription painkillers.
Arizona law prohibits the possession of narcotics as well as the possession of narcotics for sale (drug dealing). The difference between these two crimes comes down to what the defendant intended to do with the drugs in their possession. Notably, police don’t need to witness you make a sale to arrest you for selling drugs; it may be enough that you have a large amount of drugs on you.
Arizona has incredibly strict laws when it comes to sentencing for drug crimes. Under Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-3407, possessing any dangerous drug for sale aside from methamphetamine is a Class 2 felony, which is punishable by between four to ten years in prison for a first-time conviction. However, if you have one prior felony conviction, your potential sentence increases to between six and 18.5 years in prison. And, if you have two prior felony convictions, you’ll face a sentence between 14 to 28 years in prison.
Arizona police officers make more arrests for methamphetamine than any other drug. In response, lawmakers passed specific penalties that apply to anyone convicted of possessing meth for sale. Under A.R.S. § 13-3407, a first-time offense for selling methamphetamine carries a sentence between five to 15 years, with a presumptive sentence of ten years in prison.
Yes, anyone convicted of a felony drug crime is ineligible to purchase, own or possess a firearm unless and until their right to carry a firearm has been restored. Possession of a firearm by a prohibited person is a Class 4 felony, which carries a minimum sentence of 1.5 years in prison and a maximum sentence of three years in prison.
If you have an upcoming court date for a narcotics offense, these dangerous drugs for sale FAQs will give you some good background information, but you will likely want to learn more. If so, reach out to the Law Office of James E. Novak to speak with our Tempe criminal defense lawyer. Attorney Novak has extensive hands-on experience handling all aspects of narcotics cases, including conducting detailed investigations, litigating pre-trial motions to suppress, negotiating with prosecutors and trying cases in front of Maricopa County juries. We understand that these cases present incredibly high stakes, and we will do everything we can to ensure your case ends with the best possible result. To learn more, and to schedule a free consultation with Attorney Novak, call 480-413-1499 today. You can also connect with us through our online contact form.