If you have been arrested and charged with drug possession in Georgia or South Carolina, you need to take the charge very seriously. This is a criminal offense that can result in jail time and a criminal record. The good news is that you have options when it comes to defending drug possession charges.
Challenge the search and seizure
Usually, an arrest for drug possession occurs after the police officers have searched you or your property. In order to search you or your belongings, the officers need to have probable cause or a warrant. If the officers did not have probable cause or a warrant, then any evidence that they found as a result of the illegal search can get excluded from court.
Claim entrapment
This refers to a situation where police officers pressure or coerce you into committing a criminal act. This can happen in drug possession cases if the officers use undercover informants to try and get you to sell them drugs. If you can prove that the officers used entrapment, then the charges against you can get dropped.
Question the lab results
In many drug possession cases, the main piece of evidence against the defendant is the lab results. The prosecution will have the drugs that were seized as evidence sent to a laboratory to get tested. If your criminal defense team can show that the lab made errors in testing the drugs or that the chain of custody was not followed, you can get the lab results thrown out.
Show that the drugs weren’t yours
It’s possible to get charged with drug possession even if the drugs didn’t belong to you. If the drugs were found in a shared space, like a car or an apartment, then you can try to prove that you did not know the drugs were there or that you had no control over them.
Defending drug possession charges can be difficult, but it is possible to build a strong defense. If you get charged with drug possession, it’s important to understand the specifics of your case and what defenses might be available to you.