Drug Offences
If you are arrested for a drug offence, it is highly crucial for you to reach out to a specialized lawyer for advice. Fortunately, Efstathios C. Efstathiou LLC is a leading firm in Cyprus, backed by skillful drug offences lawyers at your service in this matter.
Constantinos Efstathiou manages our Serious Crime Department, along with Efstathios C. Efstathiou’s support. Both of our barristers have a broad experience in dealing with all kinds of drug offences of our clients. Our drug defense lawyers have the expertise and the perspective to defend people with drug allegations, regardless of the seriousness of their alleged offence.
The drug legislation still currently falls into Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act as well as The Psychoactive Substances Act of1977. Depending on the extent of the offence and the kind of drug in context – each individual case is dealt using our pragmatic approach and unparalleled legal practice.
Various Kinds of Drug Offences
The extent of your offence will be the main viewpoint when it comes to dealing with a drug allegation. From possession of a small quantity of ketamine for personal use to high magnitude operations involving drug dealing and supplying – drug offences can take many different forms.
Producing drugs
Whether you are involved in growing the plant of cannabis simply for personal use or are commercially operating drug production on a large scale, you are subject to a drug offence. Of course, the allegations vary depending on the extent of your production.
Conspiring in a drug offence
Conspiracy basically means an “agreement” to be a part of something. If the allegation is based on multiple suspects and you are one of them, the prosecution will charge you for conspiring in a drug offence. Acting as a middleman, street dealing, social supplying, drug couriering, drug storing, drug mixing, and drug importing – all of these offences come under the umbrella of a drug conspiracy.
Being a party to drug supply
If you are acting as a middleman between a supplier and his potential customer or being a ride for a person who you know is supplying drugs at that moment – you are being a party to drug supply. The offence implies that you have some sort of role in the supplying of drugs, even if it means that you aren’t necessarily the supplier or in possession of a particular drug.
Procuring drugs with the goal to supply
This offence is regarding people who are in possession of drugs and their intent is to supply them to a customer. For instance, if you are socially supplying to friends, couriering drugs from location to location, or directly involved in street drug dealing – you are committing a drug offence.
Illegal Drug Offences Classes
Drugs that are considered illegal are classified into three main categories namely A, B, and C. The distinction is based on the extent of illegality of a particular drug.
Class A Drugs
Drugs that fall in this category such as heroin, cocaine, “crack”, MDMA or ‘ecstasy’, and LSD make up the most illicit offences. Offences involving these drugs are almost inevitably proceeded in the Assize Court. They result in higher degree of conviction, including custodial sentences of varying lengths based on the level of offence.
Class B Drugs
These drugs are considered to be comparatively less pressing than the latter, but can still result in custodial sentences depending on the role and intent of the charged individuals. Amphetamine, cannabis, and ketamine are some examples of drugs in Class B.
Class C Drugs
Offences involving class C drugs are considered the least serious and thus have comparatively lenient convictions. However, if the role of the accused was primary, the amounts of the drugs were significant, and the intent of the operation was appalling, the nature of the sentence can aggravate.
Evidences Presented in a Drug Case
While the drugs recovered in the case are one of the most compelling pieces of evidence, the prosecution can also build their argument on a variety of other evidence. These can end up being equally convincing before the court.
This evidence may include:
- Debt list and other relevant financial statements
- Drug paraphernalia (miscellaneous articles, such as bags, scales, storage boxes, etc.)
- Surveillance recordings
- Call detail records
- Geological locations (obtained from cell phones, trackers, etc.)
- Legal recordings of conversations
- Forensic proofs binding the accused to the drug-related activity
Hire the Highly Reputable Drug Offences Attorney in Cyprus
We are the most reputable and professional firm with a track record of defending a variety of drug cases through our specialized knowledge of the Criminal Code of Cyprus.
Our esteemed lawyers Constantinos Efstathiou and Efstathios Efstathiou have undertaken a bulk of such cases with their expertise that comes from the experience of defending all aspects of drug offences.
Get in touch today and hire the most professional drug defense attorney from Efstathios C. Efstathiou LLC in Cyprus.
FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions for Drug Offences
Will I go to prison for a first time drug offence?
There is no definitive consequence of a first time drug offence. Depending on the class of drugs and its quantity, as well as the role of the accused in the allegation; the conviction criteria will vary. Your first offence will not necessarily save you from prison as the sentencing is based on the magnitude of offence.
For instance, if you are in possession of a significantly low amount of drugs, you will most likely avoid prison regardless of the drug class. You will receive a warning and that too from the police department rather than having to appear before the court. In other cases, if your offence is supplying a class B or C drug, there is still a small chance that you can avoid prison as long as the quantity remains minimal. However, for supplying a class A drug, you have a massive risk of going to prison no matter how much quantity is involved in the case.
Your lack of previous conviction can benefit you to some extent but it cannot nullify your prospect of going to prison altogether.
Is sharing drugs with friends classed as supplying?
Yes. The possession of a drug with an intent to pass it on to another person even when money isn’t exchanged is considered as supplying. For instance, if you receive a joint from a friend that you pass on to another friend, that’s still an offence even if it wasn’t yours to begin with. Similarly, if you hold onto a drug for anyone else and then return it back to them or another person, it is also considered as drug supplying.
The judge will take into account that you did not get any financial gain from this exchange while making a final decision, but it still doesn’t suffice for vindication.
Can you avoid prison for supplying Class A drugs?
If you are looking to avoid prison as a convict for supplying class A drugs, the case needs to go for a trial and win. However, in cases where the evidence is compelling enough, anyone with a concern in supplying or directly supplying class A drug will expect a prison sentence. In this case, pleading guilty is your safest bet.
The sentencing guidelines state that if a convict has supplied drugs directly to a user, a prison sentence is inevitable. However, if the convict has not supplied the drug directly to a user and the involved quantities are minimal, the guilty plea might benefit you in receiving a suspended sentence.
What is a significant role in a drugs case?
An offender with a significant role in a drug case is like an intermediate between a leading role and a lesser role. The judge will place an offender in significant role in the following circumstances:
- Influenced others out of intimidation, blackmail, or harassment
- Little or more awareness or understanding of the operation
- Motivated by financial gain or any other promises
What is a leading role in a drug case?
A judge places an offender in a leading role in a drug case when they are basically the mastermind of the entire illegal operation. Such an offender will most likely receive a stricter conviction as compared to the other members. A leading role in a drug case can possibly have the following features:
- Incharge of drug exchanges on a commercial level
- Abuses the power into influencing others in a chain
- Closely linked to an origin
- Financial gainer of the operation
- Uses business to cover the drug dealings
What is a lesser role in a drugs case?
A judge can place an offender in a lesser role in a drug case when his actions to the entire case are minimal. It naturally has a lesser sentence than that of a significant or leading role. A lesser role in a drug case can have the following features
- Involved through intimidation, blackmail, or harassment
- Exploited out of naivety and unawareness of the operation
- No influence on anyone else
- Self-benefiting (does not involve risking others)
- No financial gain