Expert drug lawyers in Sydney
Nyman Gibson Miralis is a leading criminal defence law firm in Sydney, specialising in defending all drug charges. We have been involved in some of Australia’s most significant drug cases, and it was a decision involving our representation of a client that resulted in the legislation being changed to restrict police randomly using sniffer dogs.
Drug offences carry the prospect of a criminal conviction and prison sentence. Our drug lawyers are dedicated to getting you the best possible result, and may even be able to assist you in avoiding a conviction with a section 10.
Drug possession offences
One of the most common drug charges is drug possession. “Possess prohibited drug” is a crime under the Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act 1985 (NSW). A person can be charged if they knowingly have a prohibited drug in their control or custody.
Drug supply offences
Providing a drug to another person is a crime under the Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act. A person can be charged with the offences of “supply prohibited drug” or “knowingly took part in the supply of a prohibited drug”.
Drug importation and manufacture offences
Drug importation and drug manufacture are serious offences regulated under both federal and state criminal law. Importation refers to the transportation of drugs across an Australian border, while manufacturing generally refers to the process of extracting or refining the drug, and activities in support of the manufacturing.
Drug driving offences
New drug testing laws for drivers allow the testing of saliva to detect if the driver is a recent drug user. Drug driving charges apply whether or not the drugs affect the person’s operation of a motor vehicle.
Penalties
While all drug offences potentially carry a jail sentence, typically it is people caught with drugs for commercial rather than for personal use that will find themselves in serious legal trouble and incur the maximum penalties.
The Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act sets out the penalties for all state drug offences including personal possession and the supply of various quantities (small, traffickable, indictable, commercial, and large commercial quantity) of the many different types of drugs and narcotics.
Other issues relating to drug crimes
Police drug sting operations (entrapment)
Undercover police legally buy and sell illegal drugs to catch drug suppliers (if authorised by a controlled operation), sometimes using marked money. Police use technology that includes listening devices, telephone intercepts, bugging devices, electronic surveillance, and physical surveillance to track down suppliers.
Asset and property seizure
People charged with serious drug offences may also find their property the subject of asset forfeiture orders, or property restraint orders under the Criminal Assets Recovery Act 1990 (NSW). You do not have to be convicted or even charged with a criminal offence to fall within this legislation.
How can we help?
Our drug lawyers in Sydney are experienced in representing clients charged with all drug-related offences. We are conveniently located in the Sydney CBD and attend all courts throughout NSW including the Local Court and District Courts.
Book a free consultation with a drug lawyer or call us on 1300 668 484 for 24/7 legal advice.
