James R. Balmforth: Drug Distribution And Manufacturing Defense Attorneys

Drug distribution, transportation and manufacturing are serious federal level criminal charges. If you’ve been charged with any type of a drug crime, you need a Drug Distribution Lawyer to help you. Overzealous Utah police officers targeting drug trafficking activity in the I-15 corridor frequently make serious mistakes and botch so-called “suicide load” investigations by violating 4th Amendment search and seizure rules and Miranda rights.

Drug Distribution And Manufacturing Charges

The criminal defense has drug distribution and manufacturing defense attorneys who offer straightforward legal advice and aggressive representation to clients facing federal drug charges of any type in Utah, including:

Drug distribution, importation and transportation (drug trafficking)
Drug cultivation and manufacturing charges (often known as “marijuana grow-house” or “meth lab” cases)
Possession with intent to sell or distribute large quantities of narcotics, methamphetamines, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, etc.
Prescription drug fraud or illegal sale or distribution of prescription drugs like Zanax, Vicodin, OxyContin, Adderall, etc.

Our experienced attorneys provide the same level of high-quality and aggressive defense representation to clients charged with crimes such as money laundering and conspiracy in connection with a federal drug distribution case.

Don’t Talk About a Deal Until You Talk To An Attorney

When you are accused of a federal drug crime like distribution or transportation, the FBI and federal prosecutors are counting on your fear of prison to encourage you to cut a deal. Don’t give up your rights without a fight.

A highly experienced and aggressive trial lawyer can go to work immediately to search for holes in the prosecution’s case – evidentiary and procedural errors that can stop the prosecution in its tracks, such as:

Police entrapment and the questionable use of witnesses and informants
Lack of probable cause for your arrest and the search of your person
Improper traffic stop and unwarranted search of your vehicle
An invalid or improperly executed search warrant on your property
Improper chemical testing of any drugs found
Breaks in the chain of custody of evidence crucial to the case

Field Tests

Garbage in, garbage out. This is an important principle to remember when considering the validity of DUI arrests based on field sobriety test results.

Failing a field sobriety test and a subsequent DUI arrest can be a shock, especially when you are sure you were not intoxicated. Failing a field sobriety test can convince some drivers that they are guilty of driving drunk when they were not. Few Utah drivers understand the haphazard way in which many field sobriety tests are administered and evaluated.

If you were charged with driving under the influence based on a failed field sobriety test, an experienced attorneys can provide you with the aggressive DUI defense representation you need to stay out of jail and keep a conviction off your record.

The Problem With Unreliable And Nonstandard Field Sobriety Tests

Drivers may not know that there are only three standard field sobriety tests, as follows:

Horizontal gaze nystagmus or bouncing vision test
Nine-step walk and turn test
One leg stand test

This means that if you were arrested for drunk driving on the basis of your inability to recite the alphabet backwards, the arresting officer has almost certainly violated police protocol. The result? You may have a strong case for having all charges dismissed.

Even in cases where the field sobriety test procedures were followed to the letter, there may still be powerful options for challenging the validity of the results:

Did the officers have reasonable suspicion to stop you?
Does their claim that you committed a traffic violation or equipment violation hold water?
Did they have probable cause to arrest you?
Did they conduct a Portable Breath Test (PBT, a type of breathalyzer test) before the field sobriety test, thus potentially influencing their assessment?