Federal Drug Conspiracy Defense
A federal drug conspiracy charge under 21 U.S.C. § 846 can expose you to the same penalties as the completed crime — often driven by the total drug quantity attributed to the whole agreement, not just what you personally handled.
How federal conspiracy liability works
In a conspiracy, the government does not have to prove you completed a drug deal — only that you agreed with others to do so and that someone took a step toward it. That means you can be charged based on the wider agreement, and held accountable for drug quantities the government attributes to the conspiracy as a whole. We test whether the evidence actually ties you to any agreement, and we fight the quantity the government tries to pin on you, because that number often drives the sentence.
Wiretaps, informants and how these cases are built
Federal drug cases are frequently built on Title III wiretaps, recorded calls, controlled buys and cooperating witnesses hoping for a lighter sentence of their own. Each of those has rules. We examine whether the wiretap was properly authorized and necessary, whether searches were lawful, and how reliable the cooperators really are — and we move to suppress evidence that was obtained illegally.
Mandatory minimums, safety valve and cooperation
Many federal drug offenses carry mandatory minimum sentences tied to drug type and weight, and the Sentencing Guidelines add another layer. There are paths below a mandatory minimum — the statutory safety valve for lower-level, nonviolent defendants, and cooperation — but each carries serious trade-offs. We walk you through those decisions with a clear picture of the exposure before you commit to anything.