Cocaine is one of the most heavily trafficked illegal drugs in Wisconsin. Furthermore, there has been growing violence related to the use, trafficking and manufacture of cocaine. As a result, authorities in the state are taking these offenses seriously.
The seriousness of the offense is based on how much of the drug the person possesses as well as whether the person has committed previous offenses. Any amount of cocaine can result in a sentence of up to a year in prison and a fine of $5,000. Attempting to possess this amount can lead to the same penalty.
For selling cocaine, a person might face a fine of up to $100,000 and as much as 40 years in prison. Selling cocaine is considered a class G felony if it is less than a gram. The charges and penalties rise with the most serious offense of selling more than 40 grams. Furthermore, a person who sells within 1,000 feet of a school faces a mandatory sentence of three years without parole. In some jurisdictions in the state, a person who is a first- or second-time offender might be sent to a drug treatment program instead of jail.
People who are facing drug charges may want to discuss a strategy with an attorney. Penalties can be serious even for possessing relatively small amounts. How an attorney might proceed to defend the person will depend on the circumstances and the person’s goals. For example, one person might be primarily concerned with trying to get treatment over jail time while another person might want to try to get all the charges dismissed. A person’s rights may have been violated at some point in the process, and if this is the case, any evidence gathered at that point might be thrown out.
