Columbia Federal Drug Investigation 

If someone is the subject of a Columbia federal drug investigation, they should speak with a qualified attorney that could help. A skilled federal drug lawyer could assure that an individual’s rights are protected. Speak with an attorney today and know that you are in capable hands.

Differences Between State and Federal Investigations

State court generally begins with law enforcement as their investigation after the person is arrested or at the time the person is arrested unless it is a confidential informant case. With Federal cases, there is generally many months of investigation done ahead of time by the FBI, DEA, or Homeland Security, the HIS.

Through many months of investigation of either wiretapping or recording phone calls of informants, they build a very tight case with a lot of evidence. They start their federal drug investigation in Columbia with pre-indictment and pre-charge versus during or post-charge in state court.

Factors That Make a Drug Case Federal

Crossing state lines, most commonly when someone is mailing drugs either from one state to another or from another country to the United States. What is seen a lot are drugs being shipped from China in the mail to certain people through the Internet or the dark web and using bitcoin from China to the United States. Once it crosses state lines, it becomes a Federal case.

Most commonly, the agencies involved in a Columbia federal drug investigations include the Drug Enforcement Agency, which is the DEA, Homeland Security, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations, which is the FBI.

How Federal Prosecutors and Judges Treat Drug Cases

Since the war on drugs in the 1980s, police, and prosecutors, specifically federal prosecutors, have taken a very tough stance on drug cases. The judge has discretion on most sentencing matters. While there are mandatory minimums, they are not required to go directly on the guidelines.

The judges can deviate from sentencing guidelines as well. With federal cases, there are many people that are in prison solely on drug cases where no one was injured. There is no evidence that person was bound, other than the fact that drugs were involved and are the reason why they are incarcerated and in prison.

Evidence in Federal Drug Investigations

Evidence includes a lot of phone records, shipping records when dealing with the postal service, and recorded phone calls of jailhouse informants commonly known on the street as snitches. In federal court, because cooperating gives a person such a benefit at sentencing, there are many people who come out of the woodwork claiming that people have confessed to them or given them knowledge about the crime that has not been provided to law enforcement, the Federal authorities,  the prosecutors, or the United States attorneys.

Common Mistakes Individuals Make During Investigations

The most common mistake people may make over the course of a Columbia federal drug investigation is lying to federal authorities. An individual might take a polygraph and provide just pure misrepresentation of facts. It is obvious that the government is able to prove that they lied, which ultimately hurts them much worse than had they just either not said anything or told the truth. An individual could also face another charge for providing false information.

Another mistake is not cooperating when it is appropriate. In some cases where the evidence is strong, it is appropriate for people to cooperate and try to help them because they can receive this type of substantial assistance, which will go a very long way when it comes time to sentencing. It especially helps the judge, because it reduces the levels. However, a criminal defendant has the right not to cooperate. They do not have to provide any assistance to the government and can fight the case entirely. A qualified federal drug attorney could help people avoid making mistakes during an investigation and building their case. Call today to discuss your case.