West Windsor Drug Possession Attorney

Facing a Drug Possession Charge in West Windsor NJ

Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance (CDS) is one of the most common criminal offenses charged in New Jersey, including in West Windsor Township. If you are one of the many unfortunate individuals who have been placed under arrest and charged with possessing CDS in West Windsor, whether it be marijuana, heroin, cocaine, MDMA or a prescription drug like Xanax or Oxycontin, we strongly urge you to speak to a criminal defense attorney as soon as possible about your options. By their very nature, drug possession charges tend to be heavily litigated crimes and they also tend to have some rather drastic consequences if not handled properly, including but not limited to a lengthy state prison sentence.

Need Local West Windsor Marijuana Possession Lawyer

At Keith Oliver Criminal Law, our criminal defense lawyers have been able to secure countless dismissals and downgrades of serious drug offenses in courts throughout Mercer County, including in West Windsor. If you would like to set up a consultation today with one of our West Windsor drug possession defense lawyers, then please contact our office at 609.789.0779. One of our attorneys would be glad to discuss the specifics of your case and give you our honest feedback on how we think we can be of assistance. As always, our initial consultations are free of costs, so if you have any questions whatsoever, please do not hesitate to contact our office. The consequences are real, so please do not take these types of charges lightly.

What to Know about Drug Possession Charges in West Windsor

First and foremost, it is important to understand that certain drug possession charges are considered disorderly persons offenses, which is New Jersey’s version of a misdemeanor and some are considered indictable offenses, which is New Jersey’s version of a felony. The degree of the charge will also dictate where the case will be litigated. All indictable drug possession charges must be litigated in the Mercer County Superior Court, which is located at 400 South Warren Street in Trenton and all disorderly persons offenses will be litigated in the West Windsor Municipal Court, which is located at 271 Clarksville Road.

Some of the most common disorderly persons offense drug possession charges litigated in the West Windsor Municipal Court include the following:

• Possession of Marijuana under 50 grams
• Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
• Failure to turn over CDS
• Loitering for the Purposes of Obtaining CDS
• Possession of CDS in a Motor Vehicle

Some of the most common drug possession charges that are considered indictable offenses that occur in West Windsor include the following:

• Possession of Heroin
• Possession of Cocaine
• Possession of Oxycontin
• Possession of MDMA
• Possession of Xanax

Why Do I have to Appear in Mercer County Superior Court for a Drug Charge that Occurred in West Windsor?

Understanding where your charges will be litigated is crucial. Anyone charged with a disorderly persons offense drug possession charge will most likely be released upon a summons to appear in the West Windsor Township Municipal Court. The West Windsor Municipal Court will retain jurisdiction over all disorderly persons offense drug charges that occur within its borders. Conversely, all indictable drug possession charges must be transferred to the Mercer County Superior Court in Trenton to be adjudicated.  Some individuals arrested on indictable offense drug possession charges could be detained in the Mercer County Jail pending their Central Judicial Processing Hearing (CJP) or released upon a summons to appear at CJP. CJP is an initial hearing that takes place in the Mercer County Superior Court. During this hearing the Defendant will be advised of their rights and charges levied against them. Once the CJP hearing occurs, the Defendant will most likely be given a Pre-Indictment Conference (PIC) date. During this hearing, a defense attorney could seek to convince the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office to downgrade the indictable drug charges to a disorderly persons offense and remand it back to the West Windsor Municipal Court. This could prove to be extremely beneficial for the client as you will see below, the potential penalties are drastically less. If they are unable to do so, a potential favorable resolution could be obtained and if not, the case will be marked for Grand Jury and sent through the traditional court proceedings. For more information on these proceedings, please click the corresponding links.

Can I go to Jail for a Drug Possession Charge?

Anyone convicted of possessing marijuana under 50 grams, possessing drug paraphernalia or failing to turn over CDS will be facing the following penalties:

Anyone convicted of possessing heroin, cocaine, MDMA, crystal meth, LSD or Mushrooms will be facing the following penalties:

As you can see from reading above, the penalties drastically increase for those facing an indictable offense drug possession charge in New Jersey.

West Windsor NJ Drug Possession Charge Lawyer

If you have found yourself in the unfortunate situation of being charged with possession of CDS in West Windsor, the next steps that you take are absolutely crucial. The consequences are real and the penalties are severe, that is why it is imperative that you speak to an experienced criminal defense attorney about your options. Understanding your rights and your options is necessary to successfully defending these allegations. If you would like to set up a free initial consultation with one of the lawyers at Keith Oliver Criminal Law, then please contact us at 609.789.0779 or you can try contacting us online. Our attorneys have dedicated their entire careers to defending those accused of crimes in courts throughout New Jersey, including courts throughout Mercer County. Let us help you. Here is a recent success story that one of our attorneys achieved for a client that was facing a drug possession charge in West Windsor Municipal Court. The drug possession charges were dismissed outright.