Phoenix Arizona Criminal Defense Attorney

Phoenix, Arizona Exploitation Attorney

Defending Wiretaps, Trafficking, Transporation, Possession for Sale and Conspiracy charges involving large quantities of marijuana and cocaine is a somewhat of an art that very few defense attorneys have learned, let alone mastered. The skills required to effectively represent clients on major narcotics cases in Arizona State and Federal Courts are not learned in a law book, but rather, from handling dozens of cases over two decades.

Major narcotics present unique questions and issues that only an experienced and seasoned criminal defense attorney like Jason Lamm can recognize, let alone successfully litigate, to get the type of Recent Results that our clients have seen. Examples of these issues are:

• A client is charged with transporation of marijuana for sale as a result of driving on I-10, I-17, or I-40 with aeveral hundred pounds of marijuana in the car. Did the police officer really have a reason to stop the car, or did an informant give information that the car containing marijuana would be there? Was there a wiretap that gave the police a ‘heads up’ that the drugs would be coming, and is the stop part of a much bigger DEA wiretap investigation? After the police officer wrote the client a written warning and told him that he was free to leave, but then asked him to search the car, was this “second stop” legal?
  Once pulled over, a police dog alerted on the car for the presence of an odor of drugs. Did the dog really alert or was he prompted by the officer to do so? What do the dog’s training records say about his accuracy, i.e. what are the dog’s qualifications? How long was the client forced to wait, i.e. illegally detained, with the police officer until the dog arrived?
• A client is charge with conspiracy and a host of other drug offenses based on a wiretap. Was the court order to intercept telephone calls and text messages legal? Did the police or federal agents jump through all of the hoops required before asking a judge for permission to start a wiretap, or did they take shortcuts mislead the judge? –Generally, wiretaps are seen as the investigative tools of last resort when are traditional means have failed. We have seen a recent trend that police don’t want to put in the time and effort to use all traditional means (informants, subpoenas, surveillance, etc.), but misrepresent that they have and then try to get a wiretap order.
• A search warrant is served on a client’s house based upon information that a confidential informant provided to the police. First, was the search warrant even valid? Did the affidavit (application) containing correct information or did the police leave out important information when the warrant was presented to the judge for signature? Was the informant working off his own charges? Was he being paid by the police to give information to bust others? Did the informant engage in entrapment of our client to better his own situation?

These are a few, but certainly not all, that Jason Lamm has dealt with over the years. Defending major narcotics charges is very different that run of the mills cases as each case is fact specific. Too many criminal defense lawyers claim to know what they are doing, but get way in over their head as their client drowns with them. Don’t make the mistake of waiting to see how the case plays out before hiring an experienced attorney. Anyone who is arrested for a serious drug or major narcotics offense should call Jason Lamm immediately.