Every day on the news, it seems we hear more and more about drug trafficking and other criminal activities. In some places, sales of certain drug substances are legal and in others, there are serious consequences.

Of course, there are drugs that will remain illegal. Drug trafficking has become an increasing issue over the years. At the same time, according to the annual report from the DEA, in 2019 statistics showed a decrease for the first time in at least 30 years

Drug Trafficking Statistics

There are drug trafficking statistics you can see everywhere. Most of these statistics break down the number of reported cases as opposed to the number of charges and what they may have been.

For example, one report from the United States Sentencing Commission tells us that there were 71,000 cases in 2015. Of those 71,003 cases, almost 20,000 of them involved drug trafficking charges. That is a pretty large percentage.

There are 6 primary drug types that play into these charges.

• • Cocaine powder
• • Crack cocaine
• • Methamphetamine
• • Marijuana
• • Heroin
• • Oxycodone

For tracking purposes, powder cocaine, methamphetamines, and marijuana are the highest offenses. Marijuana has actually significantly decreased while methamphetamines have increased since 2005.

Arizona Statistics

According to AZ Central, the border of Arizona that lines up to Mexico sees a significant number of arrests and reports that are related to drug trafficking. Drug trafficking and violence related to drug trafficking has continued to increase in Mexico and had a direct impact on this area.

There at the border, there is a constant run to smuggle drugs from Mexico into the US. Just as with the statistics shared for the U.S. in general, the arrests for marijuana trafficking have significantly declined in this area as well.

From the same article, we learn that at the DeConcini Entry Port, located in Nogales, they had more than 167 arrests over a 5-year term. These were all trafficking-based arrests with large amounts of substances found. The arrests primarily contained heroin, meth, and cocaine.

At another port, the Douglas port, almost all of the trafficking arrests were marijuana-related. At least 4 Arizona ports were on the top 10 list of drug trafficking ports and 3 of those in Arizona were in the top 5 spots.

The Tucson area is perhaps the most highly impacted by drug seizures and trafficking-related arrests. They hold the line throughout the years with 50-60% of the arrests or drug seizures in Arizona.

California is sometimes equally as busy and sometimes busier with similar activity. If you take a look at hots spots for drug arrests in 2017, the top 10 list has 7 cities from Arizona and only 3 locations from other states. Texas is another hot spot as well, near the border.

In FY 2016, border patrol and fiscal operations seized over 400,000 kg of various drugs in Arizona alone. These included meth, heroin, marijuana, and cocaine.

Now, let’s take a deeper look at the laws and the punishments that are associated with drug trafficking in Arizona. /p>

Drug Trafficking Laws in Arizona

Arizona has strict laws related to drug trafficking in an effort to stem the flow of drugs that tend to make their way through the state from Mexico. Many of the laws imply things like minimum prison sentences that are mandatory and cannot be debated.

According to the Find Law website, drug trafficking and drug transportation charges in Arizona can lead to some pretty stiff punishments or penalties.

The law in Arizona goes so far as to cover people carrying a certain amount of an illegal substance anywhere in the state. You do not have to be traveling the border in order to be eligible to be convicted of trafficking.

In fact, if you are carrying an amount of drugs that exceed a specific number then you are charged with trafficking. They do not accept the defense of personal use, regardless of your story.

Arizona also has laws specifically related to the sales and distribution of illegal drugs that cover small amount drug offenses.

The state has enforced thresholds and any amount over these limits automatically places you into charges as a drug trafficker, regardless of what your intentions with those drugs were. Here are the threshold amounts from Arizona law.

• • 2 lbs. marijuana
• • 9 grams of cocaine
• • 1 gram of heroin
• • 9 grams of methamphetamine, including liquid suspension
• • 9 grams of amphetamine, including liquid suspension
• • 4 grams/50 ml of PCP

Elements of Proof

The law does require proof of the crime. One of the stipulations of the Arizona law on drug trafficking is that the defendant transported, sold, or imported drugs knowingly. Law enforcement must be able to prove you were aware of the drugs in your possession.

On the flip side, the quantity of drugs is covered by the threshold stipulations as far as “intent to sell” is concerned.

They must also be able to prove that the drugs were narcotics, which means they will undergo thorough forensics testing of any recovered drugs.

Drug Trafficking Penalties in Arizona

Finally, let’s cover some of the penalties that are stated in the law as recourse for drug trafficking charges.

This is considered a felony. The felony can be classified anywhere from a class 2 to a class 6 felony. Felonies related to drug trafficking, sales, or imports cannot qualify for diversion programs in Arizona.

Ultimately, the penalty that is enforced will relate directly to the type of drugs and the amount of drugs that were in your possession upon arrest. Some drugs have stricter penalties than others, including increased prison time as well as fines.

Drug traffickers caught with methamphetamines will not be found eligible for parole or probation. This particular drug has one of the harshest penalties in the state.

First-time offenders for dangerous offense may serve anywhere from 1 to 7 years in prison, depending on the felony class. First-time offenders that are considered non-violent could potentially qualify for probation and may serve anywhere from 6 months to 4 years in prison.

Finally, repeat offenders will serve anywhere from 1-6 years as a minimum sentence. Each of these time frames provided here are the minimum sentencing. This means that whatever class they qualify into, they will serve a minimum of at least 6 months for even the lightest finding and sentencing.

Conclusion

While this is just a summary, there are several more detailed elements of the Arizona laws on drug trafficking. It is possible to find defense help in Arizona that can back your case if you are in need of legal help related to drug trafficking charges.