In fiscal year 2024, the U.S. Sentencing Commission reported 61,678 cases involving drug offenses. Of those, 18,029 cases were classified as drug trafficking. When it comes to drug charges, not all cases are the same.
There’s a big difference between being caught with drugs for personal use and being accused of selling or moving them. Simple possession usually means someone has a small amount of drugs meant only for themselves. On the other hand, drug trafficking involves a large amount of illegal drugs to sell, distribute, or transport.
You can still be charged with trafficking even if you are merely in possession of certain amounts of the illegal substance and without getting involved in its production and distribution, says drug trafficking lawyer Barry M. Wax.
Let’s learn more about their differences and how serious the consequences are on someone’s life.
Drug trafficking means the illegal trade of controlled substances and the manufacture, distribution, and sale of drugs. The act of traffickers, therefore, has generally been exploited by criminal organizations that look to profit from any means.
According to the criminal defense law firm website https://www.californiadefenselawyer.net/, drug trafficking cases that involve the federal government will have tougher punishments. If you are convicted of trafficking at the federal level, you might spend at least 10 years in prison and pay a $10 million fine for your first crime.
Drug trafficking operations may impact lives and relationships in your community. Drug traffickers feel that they are in a position to empower others or gain some measure of respectability, while in reality, it is the opposite. It instills violence, legal problems, and an immense sense of loneliness.
Understanding how drug trafficking harms society allows you to see the bigger picture. To solve those problems as a society and help others, your community has to first build a sense of belonging and kinship.
Simple possession is the point of having a controlled substance for personal use without intent to distribute it. It is never understood that there is a sale of drugs to another person or someone to share drugs with.
Possession of small quantities often suggests more of a personal struggle than a criminal enterprise. Many individuals depend on these substances to unwind, to seek comfort, and for connection. For these distinctions, the law has a more sympathetic approach to their addiction or substance problems.
Although simple possession is considered a serious offense, it still warrants a certain level of understanding. They require help and a community that can understand their hardships.
Drug trafficking is a serious crime that results in severe punishments. Their penalties and jail terms typically range from several years to life imprisonment, depending on the quality and type of drugs involved.
Besides prison time, the stain of a criminal record prevents the successful acquisition of job offers or housing and certain kinds of relationships. Your relationships with family and friends who disapprove of your choices can also be negatively affected.
The law does not tolerate this kind of offense. And once you are charged with the crime, you might feel isolated due to the stigma and socializing will be even more difficult.
Although possession charges may be considered less severe, they still have a major bearing on the day-to-day existence of a person. Fines, community service, or jail time occur, depending on the amount and type of drug.
Some states grant first-time offenders greater leniency, substituting probation or treatment for jail time. Others increase the penalties with each subsequent offense, which may result in jail time.
Even small quantities of these substances can destroy your life and relationships. Reaching out to family and friends or even having professional guidance can help pull you out of this dark situation.
Having a drug charge would deprive you of many aspects of future opportunities, especially regarding employment or education. Employers conduct background checks, and the charge may be considered a red flag, so that such candidates miss out on potential job offers.
It is also difficult to be admitted to colleges or vocational schools as agencies look at charges as criminal records.
You may feel dejected and judged, but do not lose hope. There are several others who have walked the same path as yours and managed to push through. With rehabilitation and record expungement, you can still forge on a future with positive light.
