ANNE ARUNDEL, CALVERT, CHARLES, ST. MARY’S & PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTIES.
Opioid & Fentanyl Defense | Haskell & Dyer
Maryland Prosecutes Opioid Cases Hard. We Defend Them, and Push for Treatment Where It Fits.
Heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioid charges are among the most aggressively prosecuted drug cases in the state, and some carry enhanced penalties. We mount a real defense while pursuing treatment paths when they fit your situation.
Why Fentanyl Is Different
Fentanyl can raise the stakes well beyond an ordinary drug charge.
Maryland treats fentanyl as a special danger, and certain fentanyl cases carry enhanced penalties on top of the underlying charge. The same is true when an overdose is involved. These are not ordinary possession cases, and they need a defense that understands exactly how the State builds them.
Two Sides of the Same Crisis
Punishment and Treatment Are Both on the Table
Opioid cases sit at the crossroads of the criminal system and the addiction crisis. The right defense works both.
The Charge
Aggressive Prosecution
Heroin and fentanyl cases are charged hard, and possession-with-intent or distribution allegations can pile on quickly. We defend the charge itself, challenging the search, the testing, and the claim of intent.
The Other Path
Treatment Where It Fits
When addiction is the real story, punishment alone solves nothing. Where you qualify, we push toward drug court and treatment-based outcomes that address the cause instead of just adding a conviction.
What We Defend
Opioid Charges We Handle
Opioid cases come in many forms, from street drugs to prescription medication. We handle the full range.
Heroin possession
Fentanyl possession
Possession with intent
Distribution & trafficking
Prescription fraud
Possession without a valid script
Doctor shopping allegations
Overdose-related charges
What's at Stake
The Penalties Can Be Severe
Opioid convictions carry heavy consequences, and fentanyl can make them heavier.
Prison
Serious sentences, especially on distribution charges
Enhanced
Added penalties in certain fentanyl cases
Record
A drug conviction that follows you for years
Rights
Loss of gun and other rights on a felony
How We Defend an Opioid or Fentanyl Charge
We fight the case on the law and the facts, and we keep treatment on the table where it serves you better.
We Challenge the Search
If the stop or search was unlawful, the drugs can be suppressed, and the case can fall apart without that evidence.
We Test the Lab Work
Identity and weight have to be proven. We scrutinize how the substance was tested, handled, and measured.
We Fight Enhancements
Where the State reaches for fentanyl or overdose enhancements, we push back on whether they actually apply.
We Pursue Treatment
When addiction is the root, we work toward drug court and treatment outcomes that address it, where you qualify.
Common Questions
Opioid & Fentanyl Charges, Answered
Why is a fentanyl charge treated more seriously than other drugs?
Maryland views fentanyl as an especially dangerous substance, and certain fentanyl cases carry enhanced penalties on top of the base charge. That makes it more serious than an ordinary drug case, and it makes challenging whether those enhancements actually apply an important part of the defense.
I have a real addiction. Can I get treatment instead of jail?
Often there is a path. Where you qualify, drug court and treatment-based outcomes can address the addiction rather than just adding a conviction. Whether it is available depends on your charge and history, and we work to open that door when it fits your situation.
It was my own prescription. Can I still be charged?
It can get complicated. Possessing medication outside its original container, having it without a valid current prescription, or being accused of obtaining it improperly can all lead to charges. We look closely at the prescription history and how the case was built.
Someone overdosed. Could I face charges for that?
Possibly, and these are very serious cases. The State sometimes pursues enhanced or additional charges when an overdose is involved. The legal connection it has to prove is demanding, though, and that is something we challenge carefully and directly.
The police searched me and found it. Does that matter?
It can matter a great deal. If the stop or search was unlawful, the drugs can be suppressed, and an opioid case built on that evidence often collapses without it. How the police found what they found is one of the first things we examine.
Charged in an Opioid or Fentanyl Case? Get a Defense That Fits Your Situation.
These cases are prosecuted hard, but a strong defense, and the right treatment path, can change the outcome. Tell us what happened and get an honest read on your options. The first conversation is free.
Arrested after hours? Call our 24/7 line: 240-687-0179