Being accused of drug crime is clearly not the same as being convicted of a drug crime. In North Carolina, anyone accused of a crime, no matter how serious the charges happens to be, will have the legal right a criminal defense. Furthermore, not until — and only if — a North Carolina court finds the accused person guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, will he or she be subject to the threat of punishment. Until that moment, the individual will remain innocent of his or her alleged crimes.
A North Carolina man, who was recently arrested on methamphetamine-related charges, went through this legal process and, ultimately, he was convicted of trafficking the drug, in addition to other related crimes. The 30-year-old man was sentenced to 70.5 years in prison, and he will not be eligible for release until 56 years have passed. The district attorney’s office was pleased with the sentencing.
According to the allegations against the convicted man, he and his partner allegedly ordered two meth addicts to go out of state to purchase 2 pounds of crystal meth. Later that day, the vehicle the addicts were driving was intercepted, and police found the two pounds of crystal meth.
When a North Carolina drug crimes sentence is particularly — or overly — severe given the circumstances, a skilled criminal defense lawyer might be able to appeal the decision. By appealing the criminal decision to a higher court, the defendant’s’ lawyers might be able to argue the inappropriate nature of the defendant’s lengthy sentence.
Source: citizen-times.com, “WNC drug trafficker faces at least 56 years in prison,” Abigail Margulis, May 06, 2017