If you’re being investigated or charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, you’ll most likely be feeling very concerned about your situation. It’s critical that you take early legal advice and guidance, as there is a chance that your case may be quashed if you seek and use an experienced drugs solicitor.
Having a criminal record and being separated from loved ones and dependents can have a very negative effect on a person and may impact their future career. Dependents may struggle without being able to access the income that you currently provide.
To help you understand what the outcome might be as a result of being convicted of a conspiracy to supply class A drugs offence, we’ve detailed the sentencing guidelines. Please note that a competent and experienced solicitor may be able to get a prison sentence reduced or even avoid it entirely.
Read more information about the offence of Conspiracy to supply class a drugs
Keep in mind that when it comes to the term ‘conspiracy’, it means to ‘agree’; and in the law, this is interpreted widely. The reason it can be understood so widely is that it is not a term that is defined by legislation. Even being in the wrong place at the wrong time can mean that you can be deemed of ‘conspiring’ to commit an offence. Also, to confuse matters more, there is another classification known as ‘being concerned’ in the supply of class A drugs.
Here are some examples of conspiracy to supply class A drugs that may have led to the situation that you or your loved one now find themselves in.
The actions of conspirators that can result in prosecution include:
Driving a car to collect a shipment of cocaine – although the actual act of driving a car is not an offence, the act of managing the delivery of cocaine is.
Being involved in planning the crime – even if you’re not planning to take part in the crime, the mere act of planning the crime could see you charged with conspiracy.
Participation in the deal – this includes being a courier, financial manager, look-out, go-between, agent, link in the supply chain or involved in the division of bulk drugs. Other roles included are being involved in the reduction of the purity, weighing and packaging or dividing drugs into smaller deals or advertising.
You don’t even need to have the drugs in your possession to be prosecuted for conspiracy to supply class A drugs. Therefore, it’s essential to seek expert legal advice immediately.
Examples of class A drugs include:
For both the supply and making of drugs, which includes the offence of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, the courts penalise heavily. Sentences can be as much as life imprisonment for any offences that can be classified under the terms of supply or make. In addition, you could receive a heavy fine that will need to be paid.
Even for possession of class A drugs, the maximum sentence is as much as 7 years imprisonment with an unlimited fine, but such a sentence is hardly ever imposed.
The punishment will be in alignment with the judgement of the court based on the damage or harm caused or what may have potentially been caused.
There are several factors involved in deciding what your sentence should be. We have taken an excerpt from the Sentencing Guidelines to give you an understanding of what factors are taken into consideration when deciding what sentence should be issued to a person convicted of this crime.
One or more of these characteristics may demonstrate the offender’s role. These lists are not exhaustive.
As explained above, every case is unique, and there is no guarantee on what the outcome might be. However, the general process should be that you appoint an experienced legal representative as soon as you are informed that you are being charged. You can then take advice on how to navigate the case that could be complex and frightening.
Once the legal representative talks with you, they will be able to examine what evidence there is against you. Your lawyer can then either work on having your charge dismissed or have it reduced to a lesser charge. For example, a lesser charge that would come with a smaller sentence is the ‘possession of a controlled drug’.
Certain aspects of a case are known as the mitigating aspects which can influence the sentence that a judge gives. The following are some of the other factors considered when the court decides which sentence to give in cases of conspiracy to supply class A drugs. They will look at:
In recent years, a number of changes have been made to the sentencing system in the UK to save the court time and cost and to protect witnesses from the stress of needlessly going through a trial. For offenders aged 18 and over, pleading guilty early on in a case can reduce a sentence by as much as one third (maximum). The later the plea is entered, the smaller the reduction.
Ancillary Orders
A court can also make ancillary orders on a defendant if they are found guilty and convicted of an offence. These are extra elements that can be added to a sentence and include additional restrictions or requirements that affect a dependent’s finances, property or activity.
The range of ancillary orders for possession of indecent image convictions include the following:
Payment of costs applied for by the prosecutors
Although the police meet some of the costs involved in the prosecution, the costs of investigation are typically sought from the convicted. These may include the costs of:
Victims surcharges
The term victims’ surcharges can be explained as paying compensation to a fund for victims and can range between £20 to £170 depending on what sentence you were given at conviction.
There are several national databases that hold information about individuals and any allegations made about them, their criminal and court records. These include the DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) which was previously known as the CRB (Criminal Record Bureau) and the Police National Computer (PNC). Depending on what happened, whether the accused is convicted and what sentence was issued, the accused may be added to one or all these databases. Their purpose is to provide information to potential employers and to regulate the ability to take part in certain activities.
If your case progresses to court and you are convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, your conviction will be noted on your CRB / police record. The period of the endorsement will depend on the nature and length of your sentence.
Below are details on how long you will be listed as holding a criminal record if convicted. This is something very serious to consider when it comes to future employment. The term ‘spent’ refers to when your name can be removed from the databases.
Rehabilitation Period (the time it takes for the sentence to become ‘spent’) |
||
Sentence | Adult (aged 18+) at time of conviction | Young person (aged under 18) at time of conviction |
Prison sentences of more than 4 years | Sentence is never spent | Sentence is never spent |
Prison sentences of more than 2.5 years (30 months) but less than 4 years | Sentence length 7 years | Sentence length 3.5 years |
Prison sentences of more than 6 months but less than 2.5 years (30 months) | Sentence length +4 years | Sentence length +2 years |
Prison sentences of less than 6 months | Sentence length + 2 years | Sentence length +18 months |
Conditional Discharge | Length of order | Length of order |
Absolute Discharge | None | None |
Conditional Caution | 3 months | 3 months |
Simple Caution / Youth Caution | None – immediately ‘spent’ | None – immediately ‘spent’ |
Other Including Compensation Order, Supervision Order, Bind Over, Hospital Order | Length of the order / once compensation is paid | Length of the order / once compensation is paid |
We handle cases in the arena of conspiracy to supply class A drugs regularly and have deep expertise in this field. We can help you by recommending the best course of action to take to mitigate the outcome in your unique case. No matter what size your case is, get in touch.
Many people come to us for help when they’ve been charged with a drugs offence. We know the regulations inside out and will look at every case for the most active defence. Sometimes people are charged in error; if this is the case, we will look to see how we can get your case dismissed.
In short, it’s essential that you are correctly legally represented when you first hear anything about potentially being involved in a drugs offence case. By contacting us as soon as possible, we can typically get you a better result as we will proactively work on your case. We have detailed knowledge of the 1971 Act and the drugs involved in your alleged conspiracy.
In addition to creating a robust defence strategy for you, that may even get you off this crime entirely, we can also put the police under pressure to conclude their investigation. Nobody wants their life put on hold for an indefinite period of time, nor their finances frozen until further notice.
When you contact us to instruct us to be your lawyer in your drugs conspiracy case, we can then work on finding out the details such as why you are accused. Once you provide us with further information, we can then work on building you a strong defence. We have extensive experience and have handled many conspiracies to supply class A drugs cases.
We have successfully defended a number of clients who have been involved in conspiracy to supply class A drug investigations. Once you know that we are handling your case for you, you’ll feel far more at ease about the situation.
We have a specialist criminal defence team who are very up to date on the law with regards to drug offences. Our team will meticulously prepare a strong defence that may even result in your being acquitted of all offences.
In addition to using our criminal defence team, we have access to a broad network of witness experts. These are the people who can further investigate evidence held against you, study telephones and other communication devices to find proof that you were not where you are accused of being at a time and date. They can also look at other circumstantial evidence and can potentially find breakthroughs that will enable you to have your case dismissed before it reaches the court case.
Arrest & Interview
If you’ve been arrested or charged with conspiracy to supply class A drugs, it’s essential that you take the guidance of an experienced drug offences solicitor immediately. The police will be looking to secure a conviction against you. They are trained in how to interview people so to trip them up so that they will incriminate themselves.
Besides, the police will seek a search warrant from a judge or a magistrates court so that they can look closely at what you may have at your home or work. They will then go through your personal effects and electronic devices to find further evidence against you.
Whatever the case, it’s vital that you know that under no circumstances should you attend the police station for an interview without a legal professional by your side. Everything that you say and do will be recorded to build evidence against you. Your communication devices such as your phone, tablet and your computer will be confiscated and analysed to secure further evidence against you.
Fortunately, Stuart Miller solicitors have a broad network of expert witnesses that we can call on to build your defence strategy. Many expert witnesses such as drug experts to mobile phone experts, tablet experts and even translators, in case your case has crossed jurisdictions.
If you’d like to have a no-obligation chat with us before you instruct us to take your case, then call us today.
In addition to giving you a free consultation, we can also represent you at the police station if you’ve been arrested. We can look at securing your legal aid.
Please Contact Us and ask to speak to our drugs offences solicitors to arrange a meeting in person, online or by telephone. If you prefer, you can WhatsApp us from the link you will find at the bottom banner if you open this page on your mobile phone device.
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