All drug charges are something worth taking seriously, but charges of possession with intent to distribute are very serious indeed. While Mississippi is surprisingly forward thinking in some areas of drug law, such as allowing for decriminalization of marijuana, possession with intent to distribute moves beyond a basic violation and into fairly serious, potentially life-altering legal territory.
This charge has two components, and both components must be present for the charges to hold water. First, you may contest the charges based on the evidence of your possession of drugs. If you can successfully argue that you did not properly “possess” the drugs, you may have grounds to dismiss the charges. Possession generally means that a person has some substance “under control.” This may mean in your car or home, for instance. However, if law enforcement charges you with possession after finding drugs in your home, you may challenge the charges and claim that the drugs belong to someone else or that you did not realize they were in your home.
Intent to distribute may arise a number of ways. Generally, this means that a suspect allegedly has a significant amount of drugs above a certain threshold. Once a person passes this threshold, law enforcement may legally assume that the suspect intends to distribute drugs based on the quantity. While you may challenge this a number of ways, many convictions occur because a suspect allegedly carried more than the threshold. Intent to distribute may also arise if authorities find communication about distributing drugs, such as texts on a phone, or equipment like a scale.
If you face charges of possession with intent to distribute, it is absolutely vital that you fight these charges with all the tools you have available. If you do not, you may face serious setbacks in employment and housing, even after serving a sentence to completion. Do not hesitate to build a strong legal defense to protect your future freedoms and rights.
Source: FIndLaw, “Possession with the Intent to Distribute,” accessed Jan. 26, 2018
