Cocaine Offense Attorney in Totowa, NJ, Defending Against Drug Possession Charges
Facing cocaine charges in New Jersey can turn your world upside down.
The fear of prison time, a criminal record, and losing everything you've worked for is overwhelming. Our New Jersey cocaine charge lawyer can help. You're not alone in this fight. These charges don't have to define your future.
Whether you're dealing with possession or distribution, there are real defense strategies that can make a difference. We've helped countless clients get their charges dismissed or reduced to lesser offenses.
Every case has weaknesses. Every situation deserves a fighter who knows how to find them. Don't let a mistake cost you your freedom. Contact us today for a free consultation, and let's start building your defense.
When Can You Be Charged With a Cocaine Crime in New Jersey?
New Jersey doesn't mess around when it comes to cocaine. You can face cocaine charges in several situations.
The most common is simple possession, having any amount of cocaine on you, in your car, or in your home. It doesn't matter if it's a tiny residue in a baggie or several grams in your pocket. Any amount counts.
But possession isn't the only way to catch a charge. If police find cocaine along with cash, scales, baggies, or multiple phones, they might charge you with distribution or intent to distribute.
Manufacturing charges apply if you're involved in producing, preparing, or packaging cocaine.
Here's something most people don't realize.
You can be charged even if the cocaine isn't directly on you. If it's in your car's center console, your jacket pocket, or your bedroom nightstand, prosecutors will likely argue you had "constructive possession."
This means you knew it was there and had control over it.
What Are the Penalties for Cocaine Charges in New Jersey?
The penalties for cocaine crimes in New Jersey are severe. They vary based on what you're charged with, how much cocaine was involved, and where the alleged crime happened.
Penalties for Cocaine Possession
Simple cocaine possession in New Jersey is a third-degree crime. Here's what that means:
- You can face up to five years in prison. The judge could also hit you with a fine of up to $35,000.
- Your driver's license gets suspended for six to 24 months. Yes, even if you weren't driving when arrested. New Jersey suspends licenses for drug convictions regardless of whether a car was involved.
Penalties for Cocaine Distribution or Manufacturing
Distribution and manufacturing charges carry much heavier penalties. The punishment depends on the amount of cocaine involved.
- If you're caught with less than one-half ounce, you're looking at a third-degree crime. That's three to five years in prison and fines up to $75,000.
- One-half ounce to under five ounces bumps you to a second-degree crime. Now you're facing five to 10 years in prison, and fines can go up to $150,000.
Extra Penalties for Cocaine Crimes in a School Zone
School zone charges make bad situations worse. In New Jersey, operating within 1,000 feet of school property triggers enhanced penalties.
The school zone enhancement is a third-degree crime on top of your underlying charges. You face an additional three to five years in prison. These sentences run separately from your main charges, meaning they stack.
But here's what really hurts: school zone convictions come with mandatory minimum sentences. You must serve at least one-third of your sentence before you're eligible for parole.
The 1,000-foot radius is massive. In urban areas like Newark or Jersey City, it's nearly impossible to find spots that aren't within 1,000 feet of a school. Parks and school bus stops all count. With extra penalties and imprisonment on the line, hiring a cocaine offense attorney in Totowa, NJ, is your best bet for a fair fight.
Life Consequences: Jobs, Housing, and More
Prison time and fines are just the beginning. A cocaine conviction reshapes your entire life.
- Employment can become a struggle. Most employers run background checks. When they see a drug conviction, your application likely goes in the trash.
- Housing gets harder, too. Landlords can reject applicants with drug convictions.
- Immigration consequences might hit non-citizens hard. A cocaine conviction is considered a serious offense.
- Child custody battles get messier. Family courts view drug convictions as evidence of unfitness. Your ex's lawyer will likely use it against you. You might face supervised visitation or lose custody entirely.
The penalties are harsh, and the consequences last a lifetime. But you have options.
Discuss your case with our New Jersey cocaine charge lawyer. We can review the facts, identify your strongest defenses, and fight to get your charges reduced or dismissed.
How Our New Jersey Cocaine Charge Lawyer Can Defend You and Protect Your Future
Every cocaine case is different. The defenses that work for your case depend on specific facts:
- How police found the cocaine
- What they did during the arrest
- What evidence they collected
- Whether they followed proper procedures
We can't promise specific results. But we can show you how we approach these cases.
Challenging an Illegal Traffic Stop
Many cocaine cases start with traffic stops. But police can't just pull you over because they feel like it. They need reasonable suspicion that you committed a traffic violation or reasonable suspicion of criminal activity.
If the officer lacked valid grounds for the stop, everything that happened afterward gets thrown out. The cocaine they found? Inadmissible. Your statements? Can't be used. The case falls apart.
We examine the officer's stated reason for the stop. Was it legitimate? Did you actually commit a traffic violation, or did the officer make something up to justify the stop? We review dashcam footage, body camera recordings, and the officer's report looking for inconsistencies.
Challenging an Illegal Search or Seizure
The Fourth Amendment protects you from unreasonable searches and seizures. Police can't just search your car or your person without legal justification.
Officers need one of three things to search you:
- Your consent
- A valid warrant
- An exception to the warrant requirement (like plain view or probable cause)
Consent searches are tricky. Many people don't realize they can refuse. If you consented, we examine whether that consent was truly voluntary. Did officers pressure you? Threaten you? Lie about having a warrant? If your consent wasn't freely given, the search becomes illegal.
Warrant searches require close examination of the warrant itself. Was it based on reliable information? Did it describe the place to be searched with enough detail? Was it executed properly? Any defect in the warrant or its execution can invalidate the search.
Plain view is a common exception officers claim. They say they saw the cocaine in plain sight, so no warrant was needed. But plain view has strict requirements. The officer must be lawfully present, and the incriminating nature of the item must be immediately apparent. Our New Jersey cocaine charge lawyer will challenge whether these conditions were actually met.
If we prove the search was illegal, anything obtained likely gets suppressed. The prosecution can't use it as evidence.
Pre-Trial Intervention: Keeping a Conviction Off Your Record
Pre-Trial Intervention (PTI) is a program for first-time offenders. It lets you avoid a conviction entirely if you complete certain requirements.
Here's how it works:
Instead of going to trial, you enter PTI. You complete drug treatment, community service, random drug testing, and regular check-ins with a probation officer. The program typically lasts one to three years.
If you successfully complete PTI, the prosecutor dismisses your charges. No conviction. No criminal record. You can honestly say you've never been convicted of a crime.
PTI eligibility depends on several factors:
- You generally can't have prior convictions.
- The crime can't involve violence.
- You must be willing to accept responsibility and complete the program requirements.
Third-degree cocaine possession charges often qualify for PTI. But it depends on the specific circumstances and the prosecutor's discretion.
If this is your first offense, our cocaine offense attorney in Totowa, NJ, can fight to get you into PTI. We can present your case to the prosecutor and the PTI director, highlighting factors in your favor:
- Steady employment
- Family support
- Lack of criminal history
- Genuine remorse
- Willingness to get treatment
PTI isn't easy. The requirements are demanding, and the program takes time. But it protects your future. No conviction means no barrier to jobs, housing, or professional licenses. It's worth the effort.
Discuss your case with our New Jersey cocaine charge lawyer. We can review the evidence and build a strategy designed to protect your rights and your future.
Why Choose Camili & Capo, PA, to Defend Your Cocaine Case?
When Krenar Camili decided to become a lawyer, nobody in his family had walked that path before. No connections. No safety net. Just determination to figure it out on his own.
He clerked for Superior Court judges, became an Assistant Prosecutor, and learned the criminal justice system from the inside.
For over seven years, Krenar prosecuted controlled dangerous substance cases. He knew every trick prosecutors used. He understood how they built their cases, what evidence they valued most, and where their cases were weakest.
Krenar was good at it, too. He became one of the most successful prosecutors in the county, trying case after case and presenting hundreds of investigations to grand juries.
But something bothered him. He saw how the system treated people facing drug charges, not as people struggling with addiction or who made a mistake, but as statistics. Case numbers. Conviction rates.
That's when Krenar realized his true calling. He realized he'd make a bigger difference fighting for people instead of against them. Someone had to stand between individuals and a system designed to grind them down. Someone had to fight for their futures.
Our other partner, Joseph Capo, shares this belief too. As a criminal defense attorney appearing regularly in federal, state, and municipal courts across New Jersey, Joe has seen how drug charges destroy lives. He's watched good people lose everything over mistakes. And he's dedicated his practice to making sure that doesn't happen without a fight.
Together, Krenar and Joe bring over 35 years of combined experience to every case. They've built Camili & Capo, PA, into a firm known for aggressive, smart defense work. They dig into every detail of your case looking for ways to win.
Krenar's prosecutor background gives the firm a huge advantage. He knows how prosecutors think because he used to be one. He knows what evidence they need, what arguments judges find persuasive, and where cases fall apart. That insider knowledge becomes your advantage when you need a cocaine offense attorney in Totowa, NJ.
When you hire Camili & Capo, you're not getting lawyers who will pressure you into a quick plea deal. You're getting attorneys who believe your life matters more than a prosecutor's conviction rate. Krenar and Joe understand that when someone faces cocaine charges, their entire future hangs in the balance. One decision shapes the rest of their life.
This firm exists to make sure you have real representation. The goal is always the best possible outcome: charges dismissed, reduced to lesser offenses, or entry into programs that keep convictions off your record.
Every case is different, but the commitment stays the same: protect your rights, protect your future, and make the prosecution work for everything they get.
Discuss your case with us. Whether you're facing possession charges or distribution accusations, we can help.
Contact Our New Jersey Cocaine Charge Lawyer at Camili & Capo, PA, Today for a Free Case Evaluation
We believe addiction isn't cured by punishment. Locking someone in a cage doesn't fix the underlying problem. It makes it worse.
Drug charges often involve people who are struggling. The criminal justice system doesn't see it that way. Prosecutors want convictions.
We defend you in court, and we help you build a path forward. Contact us for a free case evaluation. Let's talk about where you are, what you're facing, and how we can help you protect your future.
For help from a cocaine charge lawyer in New Jersey, contact the Camili & Capo, PA, firm online or call today.
