All drug charges in Victoria are serious and they can all lead to severe penalties, including imprisonment, harsh Community Corrections Orders, heavy fines and more. Convictions for drug charges can also look horrendous on someone’s criminal record, which can have far-reaching consequences for things like employment, travel, raising finance etc.
Josh Smith Legal are very experienced in all types of drug cases, ranging from large scale drug trafficking syndicates to ‘street-level’ offences, and everything else in between. We take a proactive approach to all drug charges and have a proven track record of good results.
Drug charges
There are various different types of drug offences and charges in Victoria. Some of the most common ones are:
- Drug trafficking.
- Drug possession.
- Drug cultivations.
- Drug importations.
There are also various types of drugs which can lead to drug-related charges. These include the obvious illicit drugs, such as methamphetamine (ice), MDMA, ecstasy, cocaine, heroin etc, as well as prescription drugs for which someone does not have a prescription for, such as Xanax or Valium.
So, what difference does the quantity of drugs make?
The quantity of drugs can make a massive difference to the type of drugs charge which police will lay, which in turn can make a massive difference to the penalty someone may face.
Broadly speaking, there are 3 divisions which reflect the difference in drug quantities:
- Non-commercial quantities.
- Commercial quantities; and
- Large commercial quantities.
Sometimes, people will be charged with a combination of drug charges, such as drug trafficking in a commercial quantity AND drug trafficking in a non-commercial quantity.
Drug trafficking
Drug trafficking essentially involves the selling or exchanging of drugs, usually for financial profit. There are many different ways someone can traffick drugs, but they are all serious offences.
Penalties:
- Trafficking non-commercial quantity – 15 years imprisonment.
- Trafficking commercial quantity – 25 years imprisonment.
- Trafficking large commercial quantity – Life imprisonment.
Defences
There are many potential defences to drug trafficking charges, regardless of the quantity of drugs involved.
Josh Smith Legal has experience and expertise in defending all types of drug trafficking charges, ranging from low-level offences with small quantities of drugs up to substantial commercial and large commercial quantity cases.
We have beaten many drugs cases in court and successfully reduced the alleged quantities of drugs, which has ultimately led to our clients receiving less severe penalties than they were initially looking at.
