California has some of the strictest laws against drug-related crimes in the country. Today, Mark Fredrick, Attorney at Law, will take a look at how the severity between charges may differ.
Drug possession typically refers to a situation in which you have drugs physically on your property or person. This could mean having it in your car, in your house, or in your pockets. Additionally, the drugs do not have to be yours for you to be given possession charge. Even if you’re holding on to them for a friend, you are the one who had them, and therefore you are the one who will face the consequences.
By comparison, drug trafficking refers to any situation in which you are transporting drugs with the intent of handing them off to another party. This could mean selling them directly to purchasing individuals or passing them on to another drug trafficker. You yourself may not be a drug trafficker. However, even the agreement to transport someone else’s drugs could get you in trouble for trafficking crimes.
Both drug trafficking and possession can be considered felonies, though trafficking is a more serious crime. They can both result in huge fines as well as lengthy jail sentences. Some drug traffickers can even face life sentences with minimums of 15 years. Meanwhile, fines can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
If you are facing any charges for a drug-related crime, you may want to contact an experienced attorney or take a look at our web page on drug crimes here.
