What is the law on serious drug offenders in Arizona?

jurisdictions. Arizona law specifies many different crimes for persons who use, possess, manufacture and traffic drugs.

Some penalties are harsher than others. One of the strictest punishments is for a conviction under Arizona’s serious drug offender statute as the state seeks to stop repeat offenders.

Who can get charged

Any adult who has committed more than three serious drug offenses is at risk of a conviction as a serious drug offender. The committed offenses show a pattern by the perpetrator. For marijuana crimes, selling, trafficking or possession with intent to sell are significant offenses. For dangerous drugs, the crime is serious if the individual produces or sells the drugs. Any sale to a minor is a qualifying crime.

Any person who makes $25,000 or more per year from the criminal drug act has demonstrated the requisite pattern of illegal activity for the government to bring charges under the act. In addition, any perpetrator who is part of a drug dealing network or other organization is at risk of getting charged as a serious drug offender.

What are the penalties

If an individual gets convicted as a serious drug offender, the prescribed sentence is life in prison. The statute does not allow parole, probation, pardon or suspension of the sentence until the offender has served at least twenty-five years in prison. The law does allow commutation of a person’s sentence.

With significant jail time at stake, any person facing charges under Arizona’s serious offender law needs to protect their rights.