Chesterfield Volume Dealer and Continuing Criminal Enterprise Charges
A volume dealer is an individual that is dealing with a significant amount of drugs or in many cases trafficking a large amount of drugs. This would be much more drugs than someone would have on them for personal use or for possession with intent. The charges are not simply distribution or possession, but seen as trafficking a large amount of drugs across a wide area, typically throughout the city, the state or even between states.
These charges typically come with significant penalties – usually minimum mandatory penalties – that range from five years to life in prison. As a result it is imperative that if you are charged you consult with a Chesterfield drug lawyer and begin building a defense.
Volume Dealer Investigations
High volume dealer cases are usually investigated in Chesterfield County through confidential informants, undercover officers and often involve multiple law enforcement agencies. This could involve nearby counties, but in many instances will also involve federal agencies like the ATF or the FBI.
How Common Are Volume Dealer Charges?
Volume charges are not common in Chesterfield County. Most dealer related or distribution related charges often involves smaller amounts of drugs, but occasionally there is a high volume arrest in Chesterfield which usually involve multiple law enforcement agencies.
Continuing Criminal Enterprise Charges
A continuing criminal enterprise involves five or more individuals actively conspiring together to sell or distribute drugs throughout the county or throughout the region.
A continuing criminal enterprise charge has very severe penalties. It can result anywhere from a five-year minimum mandatory sentence to a 20-year minimum mandatory sentence if it is a violation of a federal statute. The possible punishments on a charge like this can be life-altering and therefore require the attention of an attorney
Is Continuing Criminal Enterprise Similar to Drug Conspiracy?
A continuing criminal enterprise is different from a drug conspiracy case because it has to involve five or more individuals, where a conspiracy charge only has to involve two people. Continuing criminal enterprise charges also require the prosecution to show that the offender was either an organizer or a supervisor of the enterprise. Furthermore, they also have to show that there is substantial income obtained from this enterprise and/or that resources were obtained from the violation. Drug conspiracy charges do not require many of these aspects and merely just require that the prosecution show that two or more individuals acted in concert.
Importance of Legal Representation
It is very important to have an experienced attorney in a continuing criminal enterprise case because of the long-term impact such a charge could have. The penalties are so severe that it could change your life. You need an attorney that can aggressively challenge the state’s evidence and can challenge the prosecution’s witnesses because they use undercover informants or confidential informants with these sorts of cases. You also need an attorney that can negotiate on your behalf to try and mitigate the damage if possible and that has experience in dealing with state as well as federal law enforcement because often these charges include federal law enforcement agencies.
