New Jersey Heroin Charge Lawyer

Heroin Offense Attorney in Totowa, NJ, Providing Defense Against Opioid Charges

Facing heroin charges in New Jersey can shatter everything you've built.

The fear of prison, losing your family, and watching your future crumble is the worst. Our New Jersey heroin charge lawyer knows what you're going through. We've defended countless people in your situation and helped them walk away with reduced charges, dismissed cases, and protected futures.

Every arrest has weak points. Every search has rules that must be followed. When those rules get broken, cases fall apart. Don't let fear stop you from fighting back.

Contact us today for a free consultation, and let's build your defense.

How Someone Ends Up Charged With a Heroin Crime in New Jersey

Simple possession is the most common charge.

If police find any amount of heroin on you, in your vehicle, or in your home, you face possession charges. The form doesn't matter. Powder, black tar, or residue in a used syringe all count as possession.

You don't need heroin directly on your person to face charges. New Jersey law recognizes "constructive possession."

This means prosecutors can charge you if you knew heroin was in a location and had control over that spot. Your car's trunk or your bedroom closet can all trigger possession charges if heroin is found there.

Distribution charges can be triggered without actual sales. Prosecutors look at circumstantial evidence to claim you intended to distribute:

• Multiple small baggies
• Digital scales
• Large amounts of cash
• Text messages that could suggest dealing
• Simply possessing more heroin than they think is reasonable for personal use

Manufacturing charges apply if you're involved in cutting, packaging, or preparing heroin for sale.

Location matters enormously. Get caught within 1,000 feet of school property, and prosecutors add school zone enhancements. These zones cover massive geographic areas in New Jersey's urban and suburban communities. You might not even realize you're in one.

What's at Stake If You're Convicted of a Heroin Offense

A heroin conviction destroys your entire life. The penalties vary based on what you're charged with, how much heroin was involved, where it happened, and your criminal history.

Penalties for Heroin Possession

Heroin possession lands you with a third-degree crime charge in New Jersey.

• You face up to five years in state prison. The judge can also impose fines up to $35,000.
• You lose your driver's license for six months to two years. Weren't you driving? Doesn't matter. New Jersey automatically suspends licenses for drug convictions, whether you were behind the wheel or not.
• Community service is standard. Judges routinely order dozens or hundreds of hours of unpaid work that you must complete.

Penalties for Selling, Distributing, or Manufacturing Heroin

Distribution and manufacturing charges carry devastating consequences. The penalties depend heavily on the amount of heroin involved.

• Less than one-half an ounce is a third-degree crime. You face three to five years in prison and fines up to $75,000. Prosecutors push distribution charges even for amounts that might suggest personal use because it gives them leverage in plea negotiations.
• One-half an ounce to under five ounces is a second-degree crime. Now you're looking at five to 10 years in state prison. The fine increases to $150,000.

Manufacturing charges follow the same penalty structure as distribution.

If your heroin distribution results in someone's death, you face strict liability charges. This is a first-degree crime with enhanced mandatory minimums. The prosecution doesn't need to prove you intended to kill anyone—just that the heroin you provided caused their overdose death.

Enhanced Penalties for Heroin Crimes in School Zones

School zone enhancements transform serious charges into catastrophic ones. Operating within 1,000 feet of school property adds separate charges on top of your underlying offense.

The school zone enhancement is itself a third-degree crime. You face an additional three to five years in prison. These sentences run separately from your main charges. They stack on top of each other.

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 enormous. In cities like Newark, Paterson, Trenton, or Camden, it's nearly impossible to find locations outside school zones.

These location enhancements apply regardless of whether you knew you were near a school or park. Your knowledge or intent doesn't matter.

Long-Term Consequences: Employment, Child Custody, and More

The formal criminal penalties are just the beginning. A heroin conviction can affect nearly every part of your life.

Finding steady employment becomes a battle. Employers run background checks, and when they see a heroin-related conviction, they often reject your application.

Professional licenses are also at risk. Nurses, teachers, contractors, and others in regulated professions can face disciplinary action.

Even securing housing becomes difficult. Many landlords refuse to rent to anyone with a felony drug conviction.

For non-citizens, the impact is even more severe. A heroin conviction is considered an aggravated felony under immigration law. It triggers deportation proceedings and creates a permanent bar to re-entry into the United States.

And if you’re a parent, the consequences can strike where it hurts most. In family court, a drug conviction can be used as evidence of parental unfitness. Your ex’s attorney may argue that you pose a risk to your children. You could lose custody entirely or face strict supervised visitation.

The penalties for heroin charges are crushing, and the collateral consequences last forever. Discuss your case with our New Jersey heroin charge lawyer.

• ★★★★★

  “Great attorney to hire he took care of my expungement for a very reasonable price he was quick efficient very honest and easy to work with. He was referred to me by a family member anyone looking for a good lawyer that's honest and trustworthy I would recommend Camili & Capo.”

  Josephen “Thod” Moslieha
• ★★★★★

  “Mr K. Camili great attorney and very professional. All cases was dismissed and great communication with him and his staff. I would recommend him 5 stars.”

  Makaela Diaz

How We Fight to Get Your Heroin Charges Reduced or Dropped

No two heroin cases look the same. The facts determine which strategies will work.

• How did police discover the heroin?
• What did they do during your arrest?
• What procedures did they follow or violate?
• What evidence do they actually possess?

We can't promise specific outcomes before reviewing your case. But we can show you how we attack these cases and where we look for weaknesses that can get charges reduced or dismissed entirely.

Challenging an Illegal Search, Stop, or Arrest

Most heroin cases start with a traffic stop, a search warrant execution, or a street encounter with police.

But police can't just do whatever they want. The Fourth Amendment protects you from unreasonable searches and seizures.

If we prove the stop was illegal, what came after can be useless to prosecutors. The heroin can be suppressed. Your statements can be thrown out. Their case can collapse.

For traffic stops, we examine the officer's stated reason for pulling you over. Did you actually commit a traffic violation, or did the officer fabricate something to justify the stop? We review dashcam footage, body camera recordings, and police reports looking for inconsistencies between what the officer claims and what actually happened.

For searches, we scrutinize whether police had legal authority. Did they have a warrant? If so, was it based on reliable information? Did it properly describe the place to be searched? Was it executed correctly within the scope of the warrant? Any defect invalidates the search.

If we prove the stop, search, or arrest was illegal, the judge can suppress all evidence obtained as a result. Without the evidence, the prosecution has no case.

Contesting Lab Results

Just because police found a powder doesn't mean they can prove it's heroin. The prosecution must test the substance and prove beyond a reasonable doubt that it's actually heroin.

Lab results aren't infallible. We challenge the chain of custody, the testing procedures, and the lab's certifications. Any break in the chain of custody creates reasonable doubt about whether the substance tested is the same substance seized from you.

Our heroin offense attorney in Totowa, NJ, examines every person who handled the evidence and when. Was it properly labeled? Properly sealed? Properly stored? Were there opportunities for contamination, tampering, or mix-ups? Crime labs process thousands of samples. Mistakes happen more often than you'd think.

If lab results are questionable, if testing procedures were flawed, or if the chain of custody is broken, we file motions to suppress the lab evidence. Without valid lab results, it will be difficult for the prosecution to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Considering Pre-Trial Intervention Option

For some first-time heroin defendants, PTI could offer a way to avoid a conviction entirely. Finish the program successfully, and your charges disappear. You walk away clean.

Instead of proceeding to trial, you enter the PTI program with the prosecutor's consent and court approval.

• You complete drug treatment
• You attend counseling sessions
• You submit to random drug testing
• You perform community service

The program typically lasts one to three years.

If you successfully complete PTI, the prosecutor dismisses your charges completely. No trial. No conviction. No criminal record.

PTI eligibility depends on several factors. You generally cannot have prior convictions for indictable offenses. The current offense cannot involve violence. You must be willing to accept responsibility for your actions and commit to completing all program requirements.

We fight hard to get first-time offenders into PTI. We prepare detailed applications highlighting every factor in your favor:

• Stable employment history
• Family support
• Lack of criminal history
• Genuine remorse
• Willingness to get treatment and turn your life around
• Letters of support from family and employers

Our New Jersey heroin charge lawyer does everything possible to get you into the program and support you through successful completion.

Discuss your heroin charges with us today.

Why Camili & Capo, PA, Can Be the Right Choice for Your Heroin Charge in New Jersey

When Krenar Camili decided to become a lawyer, he had no family blueprint to follow. No legal background. No connections. Just determination to figure it out himself.

He clerked for Superior Court judges to learn how the system actually operated. He absorbed everything, what made cases strong and what made them fall apart.

Then Krenar did something strategic. He became a prosecutor. For over seven years, he prosecuted drug cases, including heroin charges. He learned how prosecutors built cases, what evidence they leaned on most, and where their arguments were strongest and weakest.

He was successful at it. Very successful. He tried numerous cases and presented hundreds of investigations to grand juries.

But case after case, something shifted. The system treated people as problems, not people. Prosecutors cared about stats. Nobody asked about the addiction that led someone here. Nobody asked what would actually help. Just process and punish.

Krenar saw people who needed help getting crushed by a system that only knew how to punish. He decided he could do more good on the other side. People facing heroin charges deserved New Jersey drug charge attorneys who knew prosecutor tactics inside and out and would fight strategically for their futures.

What sets Camili & Capo apart is Krenar's prosecutor background. That insider knowledge becomes your strategic advantage.

We can't promise specific results before reviewing your case, but we promise maximum effort and aggressive defense work.

Discuss your case with our New Jersey heroin charge lawyer today. Whether you're facing possession charges or distribution accusations, we can help.

Contact Our New Jersey Heroin Charge Lawyer at Camili & Capo, PA, Today for a Free Case Evaluation

Many heroin charges involve people who are struggling with addiction.

Maybe you were using it and got caught. Maybe you were caught up in selling to support your own habit. Maybe you made the worst decision of your life during the darkest period you've ever experienced. Whatever brought you to this point, you deserve better.

We defend you aggressively while helping you build a realistic path forward.

For help from a heroin charge lawyer in New Jersey, contact the Camili & Capo, PA, firm online or call today.