Drug crimes range anywhere from possession to drug trafficking, so the legal defenses and penalties vary greatly.
Drug crimes include:
A drug crime, depending on what type of crime, can be a misdemeanor of a felony. The penalties vary but they usually include imprisonment, thousands of dollars in fines, and probation. More significant cases can be prosecuted in Federal Court with much more severe punishment.
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Many drug crime violations are a result of an illegal search or seizure by the police. An illegal search or seizure occurs when:
Police misconduct can include planting evidence, lying about where they found a controlled substance, lying about the probable cause that led to the search and arrest, using excessive force to get a confession.
Sometimes undercover police will coerce or harass someone to get them to do something that they otherwise wouldn’t have done. In order to use this as a defense, the coercion and harassment have to be at a level that would be hard for a reasonable person to refuse.
Perhaps you had drugs planted on you without you knowing. You have to have known that you had drugs on your person to be guilty of drug crimes.
Have you been legally accused of committing drug crimes? If you have been arrested or charged with a crime, it is essential to obtain legal council for help. It’s important to take your charges seriously. Don’t just hope for the best. Hire an attorney who understands your situation and the consequences you face.
I’m Mark A. Broughton and I’m here to fight for you. I have been a defense Attorney for 40+ years and have represented thousands of people accused of crimes. I have extensive experience representing citizens charged with Felonies, Federal Crimes, Federal Drug Charges, Drug Manufacturing, Transportation/Distribution of Methamphetamine, and Possession for Sale to name a few.
I began my legal career in San Diego where I practiced criminal law, civil litigation, and personal injury. After a very successful practice there for 17 years, my family and I moved to Fresno, California, in 1995. Since that time, I have practiced exclusively criminal law. I was the Chief Defense Attorney for a 17 attorney criminal defense law firm that handled 3-4,000 felony cases a year. I left that firm to associate and partner with a very successful criminal law practitioner where I am continuing my commitment help protect the Constitutional rights of my clients.
I estimate that I have conducted over 200 jury trials – everything from DUIs, drug cases, sex cases, domestic violence, assaults, “three-strikes,” dozens of cases involving criminal street gangs, gun/deadly weapons, drive-by shootings, robberies, attempted murders, and murders, including special circumstance murder cases.
I have received many outright Not Guilty verdicts for my clients in all of these types of cases, including several murder cases – at one time between 2005-2007, the jury found my clients Not Guilty in four separate cases in a row. I have handled all kinds of criminal and related criminal proceedings, from violation of probation and parole hearings, DMV hearings, writs & appeals, and many other types of proceedings in the criminal process.
I have practiced all over California, in both state and Federal Court. I am qualified as a death penalty lawyer and am on the special circumstances/death penalty panel of attorneys in Fresno, California, where I am regularly appointed to special circumstances/death penalty murder cases by the Fresno County Superior Court. One of my greatest pleasures over my long career has been to teach and train young lawyers and law students. Most of them have gone on to be successful lawyers in their own right, and have triumphantly represented their own clients in an honest and professional way.
I have been involved in many community organizations, taught classes at the local law school, been a Mock Trial Attorney Judge and team coach, served as Judge Pro-Tempore for the Fresno County Superior Court, given many seminars to other attorneys, and started an organization for criminal defense lawyers to share useful information among themselves. Above all, I enjoy helping reunite my clients and their families during and after dealing with perhaps the most difficult time in their lives, going through the challenging criminal process with them. This is particularly true where alcohol or substance abuse issues have ripped formerly close and loving families apart.
I have saved the many letters of appreciation from clients and their families to whom I have been fortunate enough to have been of service. It is most gratifying for me to see them get back together, overcome their difficulties and live happy and fulfilled lives. Helping people is, after all, what being a good lawyer is all about. I like going to football and baseball games, fishing, surfing, and going to Hawaii where I can get caught up on my reading list and swim in the warm waters of the Pacific. I love sharing the lives of my two children, two grandchildren and spending time with Andrea, my wife of over 30 years.
Mark Broughton has been practicing law for over 40 years. He estimates that he has conducted over 200 jury trials – everything from DUIs, drug cases, sex cases, domestic violence, assaults, “three-strikes,” dozens of cases involving criminal street gangs, gun/deadly weapons, drive-by shootings, robberies, attempted murders, and murders, including special circumstance murder cases.
He has received many outright Not Guilty verdicts for his clients in all of these types of cases, including several murder cases – at one time between 2005-2007, the jury found his clients Not Guilty in four separate cases in a row.
Mark Broughton is qualified as a death penalty lawyer and am on the special circumstances/death penalty panel of attorneys in Fresno, California, where I am regularly appointed to special circumstances/death penalty murder cases by the Fresno County Superior Court.
Mark Broughton enjoys close relationships with his clients. He sees every individual’s siuation with compassion and empathy, and believes that every person has the right to a fair trial and is innocent until proven guilty.
Above all, he enjoys helping reunite his clients and their families during and after dealing with perhaps the most difficult time in their lives, going through the challenging criminal process with them.
