Drug Crime Defense in Dallas
From a marijuana misdemeanor to felony possession with intent to distribute, drug cases often rise or fall on the stop and the search. We scrutinize how the evidence was obtained and pursue suppression, dismissal or reduction at every turn.
How Texas grades a drug charge
Texas sorts controlled substances into penalty groups, and the charge level is driven by the type of drug and the quantity involved. A small amount of a Penalty Group 1 substance like methamphetamine or cocaine is already a felony, while marijuana is handled separately, and the weight can push a case from a misdemeanor to a first-degree felony. As a former prosecutor, Ray Hindieh knows how the State stacks the penalty group and the aggregate weight to set the exposure — and where those calculations break down.
The stop and the search decide the case
Most drug cases begin with a traffic stop, a knock at a door or a search of a car, a person or a home. The Fourth Amendment governs all of it. We examine whether officers had reasonable suspicion for the stop and probable cause to search, whether any consent was truly voluntary, whether a K-9 sniff was reliable and timely, and whether a warrant was valid and properly executed. When the search was unlawful, we move to suppress the drugs — and evidence the court throws out cannot be used to convict you.
Possession, intent and distribution
Simple possession means a controlled substance was knowingly under your control. Possession with intent to deliver and outright distribution or manufacturing are far more serious, and the State usually tries to prove intent through circumstantial facts — quantity, packaging, scales, cash, ledgers or messages. We challenge whether the State can even tie the drugs to you and whether those facts prove intent at all, because the line between personal use and delivery can be the line between a manageable case and years in prison.
Enhancements and collateral consequences
A drug charge rarely ends with the sentence on paper. An offense in a drug-free zone near a school, park or playground can enhance the punishment range. A conviction can trigger loss of professional and occupational licenses, and for a non-citizen a drug offense can mean detention, denial of relief or deportation. We map these consequences before anyone pleads to anything, so the resolution protects your record, your license and your ability to stay in the country.
How we defend a drug case
We move early to challenge the stop and the search, file motions to suppress, and force the State to prove every link in its case. We test the lab work and the chain of custody — how the substance was seized, stored, tested and identified — because those records are not always clean. Where the facts support it, we pursue diversion, treatment-based programs, reduction or dismissal; where trial is the right call, we are ready to try the case from a position of strength.