Minneapolis Drug Crime Defense Lawyer
I provide defense representation in drug crime cases in the Twin Citites, Mankato, Rochester, St. Cloud, Duluth and other Minnesota communities, handling all levels of state and federal trials. You may have been arrested, but do not assume you are convicted – there are effective defense strategies against drug crime charges. The first and most important action you should take if you are charged with or under suspicion of a drug or narcotics offense is to exercise your Constitutional right to remain silent unless your attorney is present. Any statement you make, any explanation you give, may very possibly be used against you.
Minneapolis Attorney Patrick Cotter
Felony drug defense |
Free confidential consultations
Call 651.686.5347 (office) or e-mail |
Please feel free to contact me and arrange a free consultation. When we meet, you will have the opportunity to tell me your entire story. Then I will explain what I can do for you and exactly what it will cost. From the moment you hire me I will personally handle all aspects of your case. I do what is necessary to get the results my clients want, and have provided successful defense against drug crimes, using strategies that include the following:
Challenge the validity of the search warrant: Exactly what type of evidence did the judge consider in support when deciding to issue a search warrant? Was it testimony of a “confidential reliable informant,” a “concerned citizen,” or was a heat sensor used as evidence? I will begin defense in a drug case by carefully examining the search warrant in case evidence resulting from that warrant is inadmissible. If so, I may be able to get a case dismissed at that early stage of proceedings.
Challenge illegal search and seizure: It is common for a routine traffic stop to be illegally expanded into a search for drugs. If an officer stopped my client for an equipment violation, and then ordered my client out of the car and illegally searched the car or my client beyond “plain view” to include a search of the trunk, console, glove box, purses, overnight bags or other concealed areas, I will vigorously challenge the use of any illegal substance found in the search as evidence against my client.
Were the drugs really in my client’s possession? If there is any question about who was in possession of the drugs, I will call on the judge or jury to declare my client not guilty.
Drug crime defense: sentencing alternatives
Prison, treatment or probation? If you made a bad decision regarding drug use and are charged with possession, or possession with intent to distribute, you are at risk of being sentenced as a drug dealer rather than a casual user. I will work with the court and prosecutor to find a reasonable sentencing alternative, one that will allow you to return to society quickly and productively. Is the charge based on a borderline quantity of marijuana or cocaine? Do you need treatment for meth addiction or alcoholism? I will be there with you through all litigation and beyond, until the matter is settled, working to help you get the help you need and the best possible sentencing alternative.
I provide defense representation in drug crime cases involving the following:
- Possession, possession with intent to distribute, distribution, trafficking, conspiracy to import drugs
- Marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines, ecstasy, narcotics
- Manufacturing or cultivation, running a meth lab, possession of drug paraphernalia
Arrested for a drug crime? Your defense begins when you talk to your lawyer, not to the police.
Minneapolis-St. Paul criminal defense attorney Patrick L. Cotter
Cotter Law Office, PLLC
Patrick L. Cotter, Attorney & Counselor at Law
1060 Dakota Drive, Suite 204 · Mendota Heights, MN 55120
Phone: 651.686.5347 · Cell: 651.214.8624 · Fax: 866.686.5488
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