There is no time to waste when it comes to building a defense after a drug arrest in Alabama. Each drug crime charge is different and will have different consequences and case processes. With that said, an Alabama drug lawyer is the best asset to have on your side to fight to protect your rights after an arrest for a drug offense.
How Arrests May OccurThere are a lot of different paths that a drug arrest in Alabama might follow. Sometimes, the most typical would be that there are some type of police interactions, like a traffic stop and the police make an arrest, commonly for a DUI or for something that gives them the right to do an inventory search of the automobile, where they then find drugs. That person is going to not only be charged with a DUI but also with possession of whatever drug they have in their car, as well as potentially drug paraphernalia if they find rolling papers, pipes, or anything of that nature.
That is one way that a drug arrest could happen, the other way that it can happen is for people who have been the subject of undercover drug sales, potentially by a policeman acting as a drug purchaser who has come to their home and who was introduced by someone possibly that they know, or possibly a police informant. The police use that as a basis to give a search warrant and then they come back to that individual’s home and they may have an arrest warrant based on the sale to the undercover person or the confidential informant, or they may come in with a search warrant and they find drugs in a person’s house.
That person will be arrested and taken to jail at that point. Also, if there is a drug investigation, sometimes they will present a case to the grand jury and once the grand jury returns an indictment, then the sheriff will come out with a warrant of arrest, arrest that person, and take that person to jail. At that point, a person is wondering how they get out of going to jail and what to do while their trial is pending, and a person has a right to be considered for some type of release on bond.
Factors Affecting the ProcedureWhen people get caught with small quantities, a lot of times, police officers will send it to the state lab before they actually get a warrant. They will let the person go home, and then contact them and let them know the lab tested it positive and they need to come to the police station and make a bond. With small use quantities, sometimes they will do that, other times depending the nature of the substance. If it is a heroin offense, they are probably going to take a person to jail, as well as if it is a large quantity of cocaine or pills, they are probably going to place that person in jail and that person will be forced to place a bond.
Sometimes for small quantities, first offenders are eligible for signature bonds, where they get booked into jail, but they can sign themselves out. They do not have to have a property bond. They do not have to have a co-signer, they do not have to have a bail bond or professional bonding company come and post bond for them. The amount of the drug can also impact the nature and the amount of the bond that a person has to post. Since there are so many varying factors to drug arrests in Alabama, an experienced attorney should be retained early on in their case in order to protect their rights during the intimidating arrest process.