If you have been arrested and charged by a Denville police officer with a drug offense you will need the assistance of an experienced Morris County criminal defense lawyer. Irrespective of the drug in question, if convicted, a Defendant could be facing not only a lengthy prison term but high fines, probation, community service, loss of drivers licenses, criminal record and potential court mandated rehab. With that being said, most drug charges, whether it be possession of cocaine, marijuana, heroin or prescription drugs like Xanax or Oxycontin, will revolve around some form of a search. This is where an experienced Denville Municipal Court criminal defense lawyer can come into play. An experienced drug possession defense lawyer can attack the underline search and/or the warrant used to justify the search. If defense counsel is successful at a suppression hearing, the underline charges will most likely have to be dismissed.
The Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall have been defending individuals charged with possessing marijuana in the Denville Municipal Court for over a decade. Our office has eight criminal defense lawyers on staff, making our office one of the largest criminal defense firms in the State let alone Morris County. Our team of Denville Municipal Court drug possession defense lawyers have the experience and skill set needed to defend your case. If you would like to come into our office to discuss your options then please contact our office at 973.309.7050. Our attorneys are available 24/7 to help assist in any way possible. We fully understand that time is of the essence.
Marijuana Possession Attorney in Denville NJ
The most common drug charge and in fact the only drug charge allowed to be litigated in the Denville Municipal Court is the possession of marijuana under 50 grams. This offense is considered a disorderly persons offense, also known as a misdemeanor. For more information about this offense, please checkout our marijuana practice area by clicking here. Other drug charges like possession of cocaine, heroin, Molly or prescription drugs like Oxycontin are felony offenses and felony drug charges can only be litigated in the Morris Count Superior Court in Morristown, New Jersey. With that being said, sometimes, an experienced defense lawyer can convince the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office to remand the felony drug charges back to the Denville Municipal Court. If that was to occur, the charges with be amended from say possession of heroin to either failure to turn over a controlled dangerous substance or loitering for the purposes of obtaining CDS. Both of these charges are disorderly persons offenses and thus allowed to be litigated in the Denville Municipal Court.
Drug Possession Lawyers in Denville NJ
Most felony drug possession charges are crimes of the third degree. If convicted of a third degree felony in New Jersey, a Defendant is facing up too five (5) years in a State Prison, a fine up too $35,000, up too a two (2) year drivers license loss, probation, community service, felony criminal record and court ordered rehab. Conversely, if a Defendant is convicted of a disorderly persons offense (ie possession of marijuana), they are facing up to six (6) months in the Morris County Jail, a $1,000 fine, a criminal record, two (2) year drivers license loss and probation. As you can see, there is a major difference in the potential penalties one is facing. Furthermore, depending on a Defendant’s criminal record, they may be eligible for one of New Jersey’s diversionary programs, either the conditional discharge, PTI or Drug Court. For more information about these programs and whether or not you would qualify, please contact our office at 973.309.7050.