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Criminal Defense

Main Office

1818 Market Street
30th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-665-0766
215-665-1225 fax

King of Prussia

Valley Forge Towers
Suite 107
2000 Valley Forge Circle
King of Prussia, PA 19406
877-4-harklaw
877-442-7552

New Jersey Office

1101 Route 70 West
Suite 100
Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
1-800-888-8296
856-354-0440 fax

Recent Cases
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Drug Crimes & Gun Charges

Gun Charges and Drug Defense Lawyers
Firearm and Weapon Charges • Philadelphia and Pennsylvania

If you were arrested for a drug crime and the officers found a weapon on you, your friend, in your car or in your home, you may face a new, harsher mandatory minimum sentence for committing a drug crime with a gun. Pennsylvania judges are invoking this mandatory 5-year minimum jail sentence in relation to drug crimes, so you need an experienced weapons charge attorney on your side. Contact our gun and firearm charges defense lawyers at Hark & Hark.

Facing Firearm Charges with a Drug Charge?
Stop Searching. Start Calling.
24-Hour Drug and Gun Law Hotline
1-877-4-HARK-LAW (1-877-442-7552)

Pennsylvania Law

Under section 9712.1 of the Pennsylvania sentencing laws, if "at the time of the [drug] offense, the person or the person's accomplice is in physical possession or control of a firearm, whether visible...concealed...within reach, or in close proximity to the controlled substance...[the offender] shall be sentenced to a minimum sentence of at least 5 years" of jail time.

 

This new mandatory minimum law is extreme, excessive and could be devastating to any person who is caught hanging around with friends who are selling drugs in their houses, on the streets, or in cars. This law may have an especially severe impact in marijuana offenses: no matter the type of illegal drug, the mandatory minimum sentence applies. Contact Hark & Hark to talk with an experienced weapon charges and drug defense lawyer to learn more about this new law and how it may apply to your drug and weapons charges.

In Philadelphia, the District Attorney's Office will work hard to ensure that judges use the 5-year minimum punishment for firearm charges in drug cases. The prosecution will no longer give defendants a guilty plea offer of probation if a weapon was possessed at the time of arrest for in relation to selling marijuana, crack, cocaine, heroin or PCP: People arrested for drug and weapon charges will most likely face jail sentences.

At Hark & Hark, we understand the reasons behind this law, but we know that innocent people are being affected as well. If you were arrested for drug possession, possession with the intent to deliver (PWID), drug trafficking, or any other drug crime, and if the officers found any type of firearm or gun, we can help you avoid gun charges.

  • Did an officer search your home or car after your arrest and find a handgun or other firearm?
  • Were you safely secured in the officer's police car when he searched your's or your friend's car?
  • Were the narcotics found in the car near a gun in your car or your friend's car?
  • Did anyone make any furtive movements in the car while the Police officers are walking up to the car windows?
  • Were drugs and guns found in your home, but you had no knowledge of them?
  • Do you face more serious drug charges because you allegedly used a gun when you committed the drug crime?
  • Is a roommate's or family member's gun being mistakenly included in a list of your possessions after your arrest?
  • Were drugs and a gun found in an illegal search of your home or car?

Depending on the facts of your case, we file motions to suppress illegally seized evidence of drugs and guns found in illegal traffic stops and illegal searches. We also defend your rights and use thorough investigation techniques to determine whether you could have known about the drugs or guns. In cases where the prosecution does not prove with a preponderance of evidence, a judge has the discretion and option to not invoke the 5-year mandatory minimum sentence. Our former prosecutors provide skilled representation to protect your rights.

Free initial consultation.


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Criminal Law Hotline: 1-877-4-HARK-LAW (1-877-442-7552)
Always Ask 4-HARK-LAW

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Hark & Hark, Attorneys at Law

Weapon Charges and Drug Defense Lawyers

Philadelphia Office

Easily Reached by SEPTA

215-665-0766

Cherry Hill Office

1-877-442-7552

1-800-888-8296

King of Prussia Office

1-877-442-7552

610-431-0133

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