Los Angeles Drug Manufacturing Lawyer

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Drug Manufacturing Lawyer in Los Angeles

If you have been charged with drug manufacturing in Los Angeles you are facing one of the most seriously prosecuted drug felonies in California. These charges are not filed against people caught with drugs — they are filed against people law enforcement believes were actively producing them and the investigation that precedes the arrest is typically extensive. By the time charges are filed prosecutors have surveillance records, search warrant returns, confidential informant statements, and chemical analysis reports already assembled. At The Law Offices of Arash Hashemi our criminal defense attorney has spent over 20 years defending clients against drug manufacturing and serious criminal charges throughout Los Angeles County. Contact our office today at (310) 448-1529 for a free confidential consultation.

Drug Manufacturing Charges in California — What You Are Facing

Drug manufacturing in California is primarily prosecuted under Health and Safety Code 11379.6 which makes it a felony to manufacture, compound, convert, produce, derive, process, or prepare any controlled substance. The statute covers methamphetamine manufacturing which is the most commonly charged form of this offense in Los Angeles County, PCP and phencyclidine manufacturing, and the production of any Schedule I or II controlled substance. HSC 11379.6 also covers offering to manufacture a controlled substance meaning the charge does not require that production was completed or that any finished product was recovered. Participation in any stage of the manufacturing process is sufficient for a charge.

A separate but related charge is Health and Safety Code 11383 which specifically covers possession of precursor chemicals used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. Common precursor chemicals covered under HSC 11383 include pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, and other listed substances. Possession of these chemicals with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine is a felony carrying its own separate sentence and is frequently charged alongside HSC 11379.6 when a meth lab is discovered.

The penalties under HSC 11379.6 are severe. A base conviction carries 3, 5, or 7 years in state prison. When the manufacturing operation was located within 200 feet of a residential structure an additional one year is added. When a child under 16 was present at the location of the manufacturing an additional two years apply. When the operation involved large quantities of methamphetamine or other substances additional weight-based enhancements compound the total exposure significantly. Federal charges under 21 U.S.C. 841 are frequently filed alongside state manufacturing charges when the operation crossed state lines or involved federal jurisdictional triggers and federal mandatory minimums apply on top of whatever the state case produces.

How These Cases Are Built and Why That Matters for the Defense

Drug manufacturing investigations in Los Angeles are built over time. Law enforcement uses confidential informants, controlled purchases of precursor chemicals, aerial and ground surveillance of suspected lab locations, utility records showing unusual power consumption, and trash pulls before ever executing a search warrant. By the time agents knock on the door they have months of documented investigative work supporting the warrant. That investigation record is where the defense begins.

Every step of the investigation needs to be reviewed for constitutional compliance. Wiretap authorizations and electronic surveillance must meet specific legal standards and when they do not the recordings and evidence derived from them can be suppressed. Search warrants must describe with particularity the place to be searched and the items to be seized and when they are overly broad or lack proper probable cause the evidence obtained through them is subject to suppression. Confidential informant reliability must be established in the warrant affidavit and can be challenged when the informant’s basis of knowledge or veracity is questionable. Our criminal defense attorney reviews every aspect of the investigation from the first consultation because manufacturing cases are built on layers of evidence and challenging the foundation of that evidence is where these cases are most effectively attacked.

Challenging the Scope of the Defendant’s Role

Drug manufacturing prosecutions frequently name multiple defendants with vastly different levels of involvement. The person who owned the property, a person who provided transportation, someone who purchased chemicals at the direction of another, and the person who operated the lab can all be charged under the same statute. The prosecution’s theory of each defendant’s role determines the defense strategy and in cases involving peripheral participants the charge and the sentence can often be challenged based on the actual scope of the defendant’s conduct and knowledge.

Our criminal defense attorney challenges the prosecution’s characterization of each defendant’s specific role from the outset. Limiting or eliminating counts based on what a defendant actually did and knew rather than what the operation as a whole involved can dramatically reduce sentencing exposure and in some cases result in charges that do not support a manufacturing conviction at all.

Possession of Precursor Chemicals — HSC 11383

When law enforcement finds precursor chemicals rather than an active or completed manufacturing operation the charge is typically filed under HSC 11383. Possession of listed precursor chemicals with intent to manufacture methamphetamine is a felony carrying 2, 4, or 6 years in state prison. The prosecution must prove the defendant possessed the chemicals and that they intended to use them to manufacture methamphetamine. When the chemicals have a legitimate use and the defendant had no knowledge of their role in methamphetamine production the intent element can be challenged directly.

Our criminal defense attorney analyzes HSC 11383 charges alongside any accompanying HSC 11379.6 counts from the first consultation because the combined sentencing exposure when both charges are filed together is significant and addressing both simultaneously from the outset produces the strongest overall defense.

Contact a Los Angeles Drug Manufacturing Lawyer Today

Attorney Arash Hashemi has defended clients against drug manufacturing and serious criminal charges throughout Los Angeles County for over 20 years. He understands how federal and state prosecutors build these cases, where the constitutional vulnerabilities in the investigation typically appear, and how to present the strongest possible defense at every stage from pretrial motions through trial. Every case is handled personally by Attorney Hashemi with no associates and no handoffs. When you retain our firm you work directly with the attorney defending your case from the first call through resolution.

If you have been charged with drug manufacturing in Los Angeles contact our office immediately. The earlier our criminal defense attorney is reviewing the investigation the more opportunities exist to challenge the evidence before the case gains momentum. Contact our office today for a free confidential consultation.

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We are conveniently located in the Westside Towers serving clients facing drug manufacturing and serious criminal charges across Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, the San Fernando Valley, Long Beach, and all surrounding communities. Your defense starts the moment you call.