Manufacturing or cultivation of illegal drugs is treated as a serious crime at both state and federal levels. Manufacturing means producing or creating illicit drugs in a laboratory or through chemical processes. Examples of manufactured drugs are: Crack Cocaine, Methamphetamine, LSD, Ecstasy, PCP, etc.

In Florida, marijuana is typically grown hydroponically indoors.  Charles G. White has successfully defended so-called “grow house” cases by invalidating the searches and seizures of the evidence under the Fourth Amendment.

Possession of certain “precursor” chemicals used to manufacture illegal drugs from chemicals using laboratory equipment is also against the law. This holds true even if no drugs are present at the time of seizure of the laboratory equipment or chemicals.

An example would be pseudoephedrine, which is used to manufacture Methamphetamine.  Charles G. White successfully defended a man charged in Federal Court of conspiracy to manufacture Methamphetamine and pseudoephedrine despite having been surveilled transporting and packaging tons of commercially manufactured pseudoephedrine.  Knowledge of the legal complexities found in such cases were essential to success.

Cultivation includes growing, possessing or producing naturally occurring substances in order to make illegal controlled products. An example of a cultivated drug is marijuana. As in the case of manufactured drugs, the illegal drugs do not themselves need to be present for a person to be charged with cultivating an illegal substance. Even if the product is not present, if a person is found to possess marijuana seeds, grow lamps, and hydroponic gardening equipment, he or she can be charged with cultivating marijuana.

Federal versus State charges

Drug conspiracies are typically prosecuted in Federal Court.  Using the vast resources of the Justice Department, DEA, ICE, ATF, and FBI, frequently in conjunction with local police, massive resources are used to ensnare entire criminal organizations.  Utilizing sophisticated surveillance technologies, including wiretaps, these investigations cast a wide net and frequently snare the innocent.  As one Federal Agent famously testified in Federal Court 30 years ago, the Federal Government would frequently arrest everyone they believed was criminally associated with the drug organization, and let a jury sort out the guilty from the innocent.  Sometimes, these drug organizations have access to firearms to support and protect their drug distribution operations.  The presence of firearms, and the crimes of violence that result from their use, can be made part of an individual’s liability under conspiracy law even if that person did not possess firearms nor commit any acts of violence himself.

Federal drug conspiracy laws can be applied to people who do not reside, or in some instances, have never been in the United States.  Conspiracy to import cocaine and marijuana from South America through Central America and Mexico are frequently prosecuted in the Federal Courts in South Florida and elsewhere.  These cases require expertise in international extradition procedures and law.

Anyone implicated in a Federal distribution conspiracy needs aggressive, knowledgeable and effective representation. Charles G. White is knowledgeable and experienced in all aspects of defending against Federal drug conspiracy charges.

Obtain Legal Assistance

If you or someone you know is faced with manufacturing or cultivating illegal drugs, it is imperative that you work with an attorney who has experience in these cases. State and Federal laws prohibit the manufacture and cultivation of illegal drugs. State laws may differ, but federal laws apply to everyone in the U.S. and may impose strict compulsory penalties on defendants. Charles G. White. He has over 34 years of experience with these types of cases and will defend you and your rights.