Articles Posted in Narcotics and Controlled Substance Offenses

Individuals without criminal records arrested for misdemeanors in New York City are routinely charged by way of a Desk Appearance Ticket. Though individuals issued Desk Appearance Ticket do not spend twenty-four hours in prison awaiting arraignment like other defendants, their cases are no less serious than those misdemeanor cases pursued the “traditional” way (in which…

The New Frontier of Drug Crimes: Silk Road, Agora, and the Dark Web The traditional business model of drug trafficking, though potentially lucrative, is fraught with peril and obstacles for its participants at all levels. Thanks to fantastic television programs like The Wire and Breaking Bad, many Americans already have a basic understanding of this…

Craigslist crimes defense attorney explains common NYC arrests Recently we have noticed an uptick in the number of arrests made by NYPD following investigations of advertisements on the popular website Craigslist (and to a lesser extent: the website Backpage). Though these websites can facilitate an almost limitless variety of crimes, the ones most commonly associated…

New York City is home to a plethora of fantastic and popular nightclubs. LAVO, 1OAK, Webster Hall, Cielo, the Sullivan Room, subMercer, Pacha, RdV, Bossa Nova Civic Club, Tenjune, the Village Underground, Bembe, Club Macanudo, the Woods, bOb Bar, and the 40/40 Club are just a few of the clubs that New Yorkers and people…

Many of our clients come to us after being issued Desk Appearance Tickets (“DAT”‘s) charging them with cocaine or other drug possession (the charge is usually “Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree” in violation of Penal Law section 220.03). Most of these clients have just experienced their first arrest and are…

In response to the growing number of criminal incidents involving individuals under the influence of bath salts, both Houses of Congress passed S.3187, which President Obama signed off on shortly thereafter in July 2012. Subtitle D specifically places a federal ban on the use, possession, or manufacturing of synthetic drugs, that up until recently were…

As former prosecutors who now practice criminal defense, we have collectively dealt with hundreds upon hundreds of drug cases over the years. Throughout these years each of us has seen people from all backgrounds and professions walk through the courtroom doors to face drug charges. Whether the person is arrested and “put through the system,”…

Many juveniles in New York City are arrested every week and given a family court summons for a crime that would otherwise subject him or her to a permanent criminal record. A juvenile is “defined” in the Penal Law as a person under the age of sixteen years old. To be more precise, it is…

In New York state, it is illegal to possess and/or sell marijuana. Unsurprisingly, the penalties for selling marijuana are generally more severe than they are for merely possessing. Most people do not realize, however, that the definition of “sell” allows police to charge people with selling marijuana even though the “buyer” did not pay the…

The possession of cystal meth – a highly addictive drug derived from a substance called methamphetamine – is illegal in New York. Under the New York Penal Law, crystal meth/methamphetamine is classified as a controlled substance under Schedule II(d) of the Public Health Law. See Penal Law Section 220.00(5); see also Public Health Law Section…