“Fed Shock.”  That is what many people experience when they find out about a federal drug charge.  Mandatory minimum sentences of five years, ten years, sometimes even life for relatively small amounts of a controlled substance.  Drastic increases in punishment based on prior criminal cases that you thought you already paid for in full.  Punishment based on claims made by snitches or junkies who would lie about their own mothers for a break in their case.  Forfeiture laws that can strip you of your money, your car, or even your house based on relatively slim evidence.   The list could go on, but the bottom line is that if you face a federal drug prosecution, the stakes are usually high.  You need a skilled, experienced federal drug defense lawyer.

It is not enough just to have a good criminal attorney; you need an experienced federal drug defense attorney.  Defending a federal drug charge is very different from a state case.  The process is generally more complicated in the federal case.  The federal government has vastly more investigative resources than the local prosecutors.  The feds routinely marshal a virtual army of law enforcement officers and other specialists to sort through records and witnesses.  The federal sentencing guidelines, although they are now advisory instead of mandatory, play a significant role in many federal drug cases.  When I started in federal criminal defense, the guidelines consisted of a single volume.  The present guidelines consist of over three volumes, plus hundreds of appellate cases interpreting numerous details.  It takes many years and many different cases to develop the necessary expertise in the federal sentencing guidelines.

If you face a federal drug charge, contact federal criminal defense attorney Robert T. Ruth at 608-257-2540 for a free consultation.