Drug trafficking is a very serious crime that can carry life-altering consequences. The profits from this illicit trade fuel addiction, violence, and instability throughout the globe. Local economies suffer as investment dries up and jobs disappear. Families fall apart, and the resulting cycles of poverty, drugs, and gang involvement become ever more vicious.
Many of the drugs that are smuggled into the United States are grown and processed in developing nations, where lower regulatory standards and less law enforcement capacity make it easier for criminal organizations to operate undetected. Illegal cultivation and production of these drugs can take place anywhere – from remote mountain ranges and wilderness areas, to farms and plantations, residential gardens, and even within the confines of warehouses and apartment buildings in major cities.
The federal government takes a more active role in cases that involve drug trafficking, with specific triggers like cross-state activities and connections to organized crime networks raising the stakes for anyone involved. Additionally, evidence that drugs have been commingled with other items like clothing or even used as currency raises the profile of the case.
A key element of drug trafficking is intent, and proving that you knowingly had the intention to sell is more difficult than proving possession for sale. Intent is a state of mind, which means that you must know that you are dealing in controlled substances and that you have the ability to distribute them. This is why it is important to have the best defense available.
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