Drug Conspiracy

A criminal conspiracy involves two or more people agreeing to commit a crime and an overt act towards that end. The overt act does not need to be significant; it could be merely buying scales to weigh out drugs or baggies to package them. Specifically regarding drug conspiracy, you can be charged simply because you know that there is narcotics activity and you enable it by allowing it to continue. Law enforcement often arrest people for drug conspiracies in order to secure their cooperation with the prosecution of another, more powerful or dangerous person.

The prosecution has to prove that such an agreement exists. Sometimes, the prosecution gets this information because a party to the conspiracy ‘flips’ and informs on his/her co-conspirator which often comes as a result of one party to the conspiracy ‘flipping’ and informing on his or her coconspirators, or law enforcement surveilling those party to the conspiracy.

A federal drug conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison and a $5,000,000 fine. If firearms are involved or some other types of offenses or criminal history justify enhancements, the maximum term can be life in prison.