Long Beach Drug Crime Attorney

Felony charges for drug offenses are more the rule than the exception. In fact, medical marijuana possession, which is lawful in California, is frequently being charged as cultivation or another drug crime. Peter Larkin is an experienced Long Beach drug crime attorney. He has practiced criminal defense for more than 35 years and can effectively help you defend against drug charges.

Fighting to protect your rights in Long Beach
Protecting your rights can mean the difference between doing a drug treatment program, and spending time in jail or prison. While federal and state drug laws are complex, many effective defenses are available to fight a Long Beach drug charge.

What are considered Long Beach drug crimes?
Between federal criminal drug statutes and California drug law under the California Health and Safety Code, drug offenses comprise a maze of detailed regulation. Your best chances for effective defense are using seasoned drug crime attorneys who can navigate the legal complexity and devise successful defense strategies.

Under state and federal laws, possible charges for Long Beach drug crime include:
-Drug possession includes possessing small drug quantities for personal use along with drug paraphernalia such as marijuana bongs, hash pipes, or spoons and needles with heroin residue.
-Drug conspiracy is the agreement to carry out a drug crime regardless of whether or not the plan is successful. Some degree of corroboration must be involved, not mere knowledge of the conspiracy or a relationship with conspirators. Conspiracies are often plans to cultivate, sell, distribute, or traffic in drugs.
-Drug trafficking refers to manufacture, import, export, distribution, sale, or possession of illegal controlled substances under local, state, or federal statues with the intent to commit such crimes.
-Drug smuggling refers to the hidden and illegal import or export of drugs that avoids customs inspection and taxation.
-Drug possession with intent to distribute is determined under state and federal law by the quantity of drugs in possession. Authorities assume that large drug quantity possession involves the intent to distribute drugs.
-Prescription fraud occurs when fraud, forgery, deceit, or some other dishonest means is used to obtain prescription drugs. Buying or selling prescription drugs from others, filling the same prescription at more than one pharmacy, and forging a doctor's prescription are examples of prescription drug fraud.

Long Beach Homicide Attorney
Homicides are very serious offenses, consisting of legal challenges for both the defense and prosecution. Although prosecutors bear the burden of proof, anyone facing homicide charges should only consider a very skilled and experienced Long Beach homicide attorney to handle their case. Peter Larkin, Attorney at Law has more than three decades of experience in criminal law and is highly competent in homicide defense.

Homicide law in Long Beach
Homicide refers to any killing whether lawful or unlawful. Self defense and military killing are instances where homicide is lawful. However, when referring to a criminal case, homicides involve unlawful killing and are generally tried at the state level. Sentencing varies from state to state, and some states carry maximum penalties of capital punishment. In other states, the maximum penalty for homicide is life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Types of homicide charges

California has various types of homicide charges. Homicide in Long Beach includes:
-Murder. Murder is the most serious homicide and is characterized by malicious intent. There are different degrees of murder and the most egregious involves malice aforethought or in other words premeditated murder. Murder is further classified into capital murder, first degree, second degree, and attempted murder.
-Manslaughter. Manslaughter differs from murder in that no malicious intent or premeditation about killing is involved. Various types of manslaughter are recognized by California courts, such as--
-Voluntary manslaughter. Voluntary manslaughter is spontaneous killing without malice or premeditation, resulting from an argument or in the heat of passion.
-Involuntary manslaughter. Involuntary manslaughter is killing that occurs without malice and without the intent to kill but results from a disregard for human life in violation of a law or a through a lawful act that involves great risk of injury or death. An example of involuntary manslaughter may be a hunter who mistakes another hunter for an animal and shoots, killing the person.
-Vehicular manslaughter. Vehicular manslaughter involves killing that occurs as a result of driving unlawfully or while committing an unlawful act. An example of vehicular manslaughter would be killing a pedestrian while trying to evade the police during a high speed chase.