It’s common knowledge that drug crimes are treated very seriously in American. Often, they’re prosecuted as a federal offense and can lead to years or decades of imprisonment. Even after one is released, they will suffer from reduced opportunities in the job market as a result of their previous conviction.
One thing that often leads to these long prison sentences is the practice of applying a long list of charges, even for what appears to be a single action. For example, conspiracy charges are often applied in addition to drug trafficking charges; the same goes for charges related to operating a property for the purposes of dealing drugs.
The result can be very intimidating for a person who has just been arrested; it can be frightening, confusing and overwhelming to suddenly be facing a list of half a dozen or more criminal charges.
This month, three Charlotte men found themselves facing a wide variety of felony and misdemeanor charges after they attempted to fill a prescription at a Rite Aid Pharmacy in Denver, North Carolina. The pharmacist notified police upon receiving the prescription; officers arrived quickly and determined that the prescription was apparently counterfeit.
Two of the men submitted quietly to police; the third resisted. In the struggle, the man damaged the officer’s cellphone.
That man is now facing felony charges of trafficking heroin, attempting to obtain a controlled substance by fraud or forgery, conspiracy, possession of a counterfeit instrument and uttering a forged instrument. He is also facing a number of misdemeanors related to his resisting arrest.
The man’s two companions are facing similar felony charges relating to drug possession, possession of a counterfeit instrument and conspiracy.
This case is still very new; a large number of details still remain unknown. It remains to be seen how many of these charges will be upheld in court.
Often, when a person is facing a large number of charges, an attorney for the defendant can help to arrange for some of them to be dropped. This depends heavily upon the individual situation, but it can result in lighter punishments and penalties for the accused.
Source: The Lincoln Times-News, “Charlotte trio charged for forged prescription” Jenna-Ley Harrison, Oct. 04, 2013