A volume dealer is somebody who is selling at least a specific amount of drugs. For example, if someone is selling more than 100 grams of heroin or more than 500 grams of cocaine, it is set out by the statute as to how much constitutes a volume deal. These typically lead to higher penalties and mandatory jail time. This includes up to five years of mandatory jail time that the judge cannot suspend if someone is found guilty.
A continuing criminal enterprise occurs when at least five people are working together to do something illegal, and there is gross income of at least $1,000 resulting from this venture that they bring in.
If you have been charged with either crime, it is important to obtain the help of an Alexandria volume dealer or continuing criminal enterprise attorney as soon as possible. A knowledgeable Alexandria drug lawyer can mount a strong defense to help minimize or dismiss any consequences associated with the charge.
Usually, in cases involving volume dealing, an individual is looking at between five years and life in prison depending on the type of charge. For marijuana, it is between 5 and 40 years in prison. There is a mandatory jail time aspect where for Schedule I or Schedule II substances, if someone is a volume dealer, the mandatory penalty is five years in prison.
When someone is believed to have distributed more than a certain amount of drugs as set out in the code, an individual’s charge will be escalated from a standard drug charge to a volume dealing charge. It is at this point that an individual should not hesitate before contacting an Alexandria volume dealing lawyer.
Since Alexandria is not one of the heavier trafficked areas, these types of charges do not happen often. However, that is not to say that they never happen, because they do occur but quite infrequently.
When Alexandria officers believe there is a volume dealer in their area, they are vigilant in tracking them down because that is somebody who is probably more responsible for the drug trade than an average dealer.
They will heavily prosecute the individual, as penalizing the individual is often a big priority for law enforcement. To prevent such severe penalties from being incurred, an individual should contact an Alexandria volume dealer attorney as soon as possible.
If an individual is convicted of continuing criminal enterprise, they will face a mandatory minimum of five years in jail, and depending on the type of substance, it can be a suspended sentence up to life in prison.
There are a few things that separate these charges from drug conspiracy charges. With a conspiracy charge, it usually involves selling a drug between one or two people, and selling it only a few times. Whereas a continuing enterprise is the repetition of that act. It is essentially a bulked-up version of conspiracy. To defend against these charges, an individual must contact an Alexandria continuing criminal enterprise attorney as soon as they learn of their charge.
Usually, these are federal charges. Most of the time, when talking about volume dealers, law enforcement is talking about traffickers. They are not restricted to just one state and they are often importing the drugs from somewhere else.
Certain drugs are produced in Virginia but usually, an individual crosses state lines to do that and they are dealing in significant amounts, so the federal government will take over those charges.
These are serious cases that carry mandatory jail time and harsh penalties. Judges do not look kindly on these charges in comparison to an individual who is simply using drugs, as there is an expectation that they can and/or will change their life around.
They are very suspicious of somebody who is willing to engage in a major business of selling drugs and does not often believe they will make significant changes.
When someone is dealing with other people, they may have information on other individuals and the federal government may use that information. There are a lot of moving parts involved in these investigations, so it is important to have an Alexandria volume dealer lawyer by an individual’s side to effectively handle the case.