Colonial Heights Volume Dealers/Continuing Criminal Enterprise Lawyer
Drug offenses are some of the most serious offenses a person could be accused of committing. However, when someone is accused of being a volume dealer or continuing a criminal enterprise, the person charged should be worried about their immediate and long-term future. Due to the serve penalties they could incur following a conviction, it is best to speak with a Colonial Heights volume dealers/continuing criminal enterprise lawyer.
If you are facing charges, speak with a knowledgeable attorney today. By scheduling a consultation, you could speak with a lawyer about your charge and figure out the best defense strategy for your case. Call today to get started
What is a Volume Dealer?
A volume dealer is someone who is accused of selling high volumes of certain controlled substances and marijuana. Individuals charged with this offense should expect to face charges for manufacturing and distribution as opposed to just possession with the intent to distribute. High volume dealers, on the other hand, would typically find themselves facing a distribution charge based off of the amount of the substance that was manufactured and distributed.
Penalties Associated with Volume Dealing in Colonial Heights
The penalties would vary depending on the amount of drugs the person has. However, if they are accused of manufacturing, selling, giving, distributing, or possessing with intent to manufacture a high-volume substance, then the accused would be looking at a five-year mandatory minimum sentence and a $1 million fine.
To be considered a high-volume dealer, the accused must have 100 grams of heroin, 500 grams of cocaine, 250 grams of cocaine base, or 10 grams of methamphetamines.
There is no set amount across all substances. What police are looking for are different volumes of different substances that can then put a person in that realm of a high-volume dealer, with five to life and five years’ mandatory jail time.
What Does it Mean to be Charged as a Continuing Criminal Enterprise?
A person is engaged in a continuing criminal enterprise if they violate any provisions of this section, for which the punishment is a felony, and any such violation or series of violations of this section, which are undertaken by said persons in concert with five or more other persons with respect to whom such persons occupy the position of organizer or a supervisory position or any other position of management from which said person obtains substantial income or resources or for which violations are committed with respect to methamphetamines or other controlled substances classified as Schedule 1 or Schedule 2 for the benefit, at the direction of, and associated with any criminal street gang. That is the textbook definition.
Any individual can be found guilty of being a criminal enterprise if they are working with or in concert with five or more people and the individual occupies a position of organizer, a supervisory position, or any other position of management and from which said person obtains substantial income or resources. They must also be accused of working with five or more people, in charge of five or more people, and they have to obtain substantial income or resources from the selling of these different substances.
If an accused person is believed to be working for a street gang, whether they know one gang member or 30 gang members, and they find themselves possessing or selling these high-volume substances, they would then be considered a volume dealer.
Penalties Associated with a Continuing Criminal Enterprise Charge in Colonial Heights
A person charged with continuing a criminal enterprise could face five years to life with a five-year mandatory minimum and $1 million in fines. If they are found to be a high-level official in a continuing criminal enterprise, and they made anywhere from $100,000 to $250,000 in a year, they could face a sentence of 20 years to life with a 20-year mandatory minimum prison sentence and $1 million in fines. If the criminal enterprise made more than $250,000 in a year, then they are looking at life in jail if they are found guilty with $1 million in fines.
Benefits of Hiring an Attorney
The main benefit of hiring a Colonial Heights volume dealer/continuing criminal enterprise lawyer is because the outcome of these types of cases carry so much jail time that the accused cannot risk handling a case of this magnitude alone. An experienced attorney fully understands the severity of a conviction and will work tirelessly to render a positive result.
If you have been formally charged and wish to learn more about your legal options, reach out and schedule a consultation today.
