Building an Alameda County Drug Possession Defense

If you have been charged with drug possession, it is essential to reach out to a practiced criminal defense attorney. An experienced attorney could help analyze the evidence against you and work to exploit every weakness in the prosecution’s case. For help building your drug possession defense, reach out to a knowledgeable Alameda County lawyer.

How to Build a Defense in Alameda County

An Alameda County attorney often builds a drug possession defense by first determining what the intent was for the possession. The lawyer determines whether or not a defendant knew that these drugs were in that location, whether anybody claims ownership, and if the drugs were illegal substances. They could also investigate whether or not there were any violations of the individual’s constitutional rights, such as an unlawful search or seizure, or if the information used to obtain the search warrant established enough probable cause for the search to occur.

The defense begins with speaking to the defendant, understanding the circumstances, and going beyond the police report to do an investigation of the evidence. Under some circumstances, the defense may make a motion alleging the evidence was fabricated or did not belong to the defendant.

Challenging the Evidence in a Drug Possession Defense

An Alameda attorney working on a drug possession defense would consider factors and evidence found in a police report. The lawyer might request any communication and dispatch logs, as well as the inventory logs from any search of a vehicle and the property logs for searches of the defendant’s body. The lawyer may also look for body cameras, motor vehicle audio recording systems, Vievu cameras, and any surveillance in the area and may likely hire an investigator to contact any potential witnesses that may have been present or observed what was happening. If it was in a commercial area, the defense might contact the surrounding businesses to see if any surveillance videos captured the events in question.

The legal team may also test the alleged controlled substance. The attorney may look for lab reports to determine whether or not the items in question were actually drugs. It is possible that something looks like a controlled substance but is actually legal to possess. For example, a substance may look like Xanax because somebody was trying to pawn off fake pills for a profit. In reality, the alleged controlled substance was simply Tylenol, which is legal. It is crucial to explore all areas of the evidence to see where the strongest defense may lie.

Seek an Alameda County Lawyer for Help Building a Drug Possession Defense

It is important to contact a lawyer experienced with drug possession early on in the case. A strong legal team could look at whether or not any rights were violated and whether any appropriate motions need to be filed to suppress or exclude evidence. A dedicated Alameda County attorney could help you navigate the legal process and building a drug possession defense tailored to the unique facts and circumstances of your case. Reach out today to schedule a consultation.