The penalties for cocaine drug crimes vary greatly and really depend on the details of the offense. Understanding the law and what you are up against can help as you plan for how to proceed.

A few examples of penalties include:

Sale of cocaine: This is a felony charge with a max penalty of 40 years imprisonment and a fine of $1 million.

Possession: This is a felony level charge that also has a max penalty of 40 years imprisonment and a $1 million fine. What will happen all depends on the amount found in your possession and if you have any prior convictions.

Use of cocaine: This is typically a misdemeanor offense that is punishable with a short jail term and a relatively small fine. However, you will still end up with a drug conviction on your criminal record, which is something that should always be taken extremely seriously.

Does Minnesota offer any alternative sentencing options?

Yes. Minnesota is one of many states that offers something called drug court. This is a court supervised rehabilitation program meant to help low-level offenders beat their drug addictions. Your legal counsel can provide you with more details about drug court.

Are drug cases involving cocaine handled at the state or federal level?

It depends on the crime. Some are handled at the state level while others also garner federal charges. If there are federal charges, the penalties associated with a conviction will most likely be more severe than if it was a state-level case.

How can I fight cocaine-related drug charges?

There are various criminal defense strategies that may be successful when fighting cocaine-related drug charges. These include:

Showing factual errors in the case – Thoroughly reviewing and questioning evidence can often result in errors in the prosecution’s case. This is where having a criminal defense attorney on your side can really help, as this attorney will know where to fact check in the case.

Proving lack of intent – This may be achieved by providing evidence that you did not intend to commit the crime.

Showing forced intoxication – By establishing that another individual is responsible for your use of cocaine, you may be able to avoid a conviction.

Finding police procedural errors – Reviewing and questioning police records can result in the discovery of procedural errors that could greatly change the outcome of your case – in your favor. Again, this is an area where a criminal defense attorney would have an advantage, knowing the law and where to look in the records.

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