North Carolina law enforcement has been cracking down on drug crimes for years. As part of their efforts, they apprehend and charge individuals on a daily basis. For some of those arrested and facing drug charges, the future may look bleak if they are convicted of the crimes.
One example of this happened earlier this month, when police in Winston-Salem arrested two residents from the Triad region and charged them with drug trafficking in either heroin or opium and conspiring to sell or deliver heroin. A third man was also arrested and charged with conspiring to sell or deliver heroin. Their court dates have been set for Dec. 1, 2011.
Of those charged, one is a 27-year-old man who is facing 16 counts of trafficking heroin or opium and two counts of conspiring to sell or deliver heroin. The second man is 46 years old and was charged with four counts of trafficking heroin or opium and two counts of conspiring to sell or deliver heroin. The third is a 32-year-old man who was charged with 12 counts of conspiring to sell or deliver heroin.
If convicted, each of these men could be looking at some long prison terms. However, it is important to remember that being charged with drug crimes is not the same as being convicted. Being charged is just one step in the process and the defendants in this case are still entitled to a strong legal defense.
When North Carolina residents are arrested on drug charges, they may want to consider working with an experienced criminal defense attorney who knows the laws and knows how to protect a defendant’s rights. A qualified attorney may be able to assist in exploring all of the legal options that the accused has available.
Source: Winston-Salem Journal, “Triad men arrested on drug-dealing charges,” Richard Craver, Nov. 6, 2011