Andrew D. Stine, P.A. - Florida Criminal Defence Attorney

Immigration is a tricky subject. If you are an immigrant, legal or illegal, and you are accused of a serious crime, you could be facing potential deportation. Regardless of your legal status you need to contact an experienced criminal defense lawyer immediately. This is the only chance you have at staying in this country. The law does not take immigration lightly and while there is momentum in changing immigration legislation, for now, being an illegal or even legal immigrant can be a precarious thing.

Despite recent good news about the gradual decline in the rate of robberies and home invasions, the rate for the first quarter of this year has law enforcement on edge. Law enforcement has recently been boasting about an improved response rate to robberies, better technology and resources, and an all around better crime rate. However, it seems that things are actually getting worse, despite all of the new and improved efforts of law enforcement.

Jeff George, often discussed in previous posts as a kingpin of pill mills, has finally been ordered to pay financial restitution to the family of 24-year-old Joey Bartolucci who died from overdosing on narcotics in 2009, supplied by the pill mills operated by the George brothers. Pill mills are pain clinics that often prescribed powerful narcotics like Oxycodone without discretion. These operations are under extreme scrutiny and heavy investigation because of the rising number of Oxycodone related overdose deaths. It is simply just too easy for addicts and drug dealers to get their hands on powerful prescription drugs.

Marijuana grow houses are becoming extremely popular in the state of Florida. Marijuana grow houses can be anything from garages, to abandoned trailers, to old houses and sheds. These structures are fortified to facilitate the growth of Marijuana and preparation for sale and distribution. If you have been charged with growing Marijuana, you may face a mandatory minimum prison sentence of three years and a felony criminal record.

South Florida is known as the pain-pill capital of the country for a reason. With hundreds of pain clinics flourishing throughout St. Lucie County, Broward County, and Palm Beach County, addicts and doctor-shoppers will drive from states as far as Ohio to reap the benefits of pill mills and dispensing doctors. Police who track operations say that even though many pain clinics operate legally, people can often be seen driving from clinic to clinic procuring hundreds of pills at a time. Even though Florida legislation has attempted to regulate the doctor shopping epidemic, doctors continue to supply drug addicts and dealers with pills.

Experts are saying where the demand is, that's where the supply will be. Leading news reporters and experts on criminal trends are reporting that when large nationwide events occur, a spike in criminal activity is likely to happen. Law enforcement officers are turning their eyes away from Super Bowl XLVI this weekend in order to focus on potential criminal activity, likely to happen wherever large groups of people congregate for this special event.

Many times, a legal defense for the prosecution of a crime includes the definition of entrapment. However, entrapment can be a very difficult defense to use as law enforcement officers are continuously growing more cautious and prepared when planning to catch criminal activity. The only way to be able to use entrapment as a criminal defense is if you have a complete understanding of what it entails and what it means for you.

Fighting a drug charge can be extremely complicated. Now with the new changes in the Florida Drug Law, things may be even more confusing. A criminal defense lawyer is the best person to speak with if you have questions about the drug crime allegations against you. Since Orange County Judge Mary Scriven found the Florida Drug Abuse Prevention and Control law unconstitutional, charging offenders with drug crimes involving intent is becoming a grey area.

More often than not, when a person is accused of committing a crime, there is usually more than one crime in question. Many crimes do not have very significant sentences but what usually lands people in prison for long periods of time is being convicted of multiple crimes at once.

A consistent headline in the news is how pain clinics are a growing problem. South Florida is considered to be the hotspot for pain clinics and by proxy, prescription drug trafficking. Doctors at pain clinics have an underhanded reputation for handing out prescriptions like they’re candy for highly addictive drugs like Oxycodone. As law enforcement continues to crack down on drug traffickers disguised as pain clinics, drug traffickers continue to find loopholes around the law.