Category Archives: Trafficking Charges
Carfentanil, Fentanyl Analogues, Heroin, China, the Police, and Felony Arrests
Heroin isn’t the big deal in the opioid crisis anymore. You might even say that heroin is Old School. Now, it’s what is being combined with heroin that’s being sold all over the country. Namely, fentanyl and the fentanyl analogues like carfentanil. And times are changing for everyone involved. The Popularity of Fentanyl Fentanyl is…
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What are Racketeering Charges? Organized Crime, Gangs and Cartels, and Overcharging RICO
Most people think of movies like “The Untouchables” or “the Godfather” when asked about “racketeering” charges and arrests on R.I.C.O. violations. Makes sense; RICO was designed to combat “organized crime” in this country, and as a general rule that has meant the Mafia. The Cosa Nostra was its original target. RICO Act: Racketeering Charges Expand…
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New 2017 Federal Drug Policy from Attorney General Jeff Sessions
Last week, the Attorney General of the United States sent a memo to all the Offices of the U.S. Attorney General around the country, including the one overseeing the Northern District of Texas that prosecutes federal crimes here in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. It’s a big deal for anyone facing criminal charges here in Texas,…
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Methamphetamine in Dallas and North Texas: Expect More Felony Meth Arrests
First things first, exactly what IS methamphetamine (“meth”)? And, why are there more and more news stories of law enforcement here in Texas arresting people for felony distribution as they seize literally millions of dollars of meth hidden in all sorts of clever hidy-holes? It’s happening all the time … millions of dollars of methamphetamine…
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Heroin Moves Through Dallas: Drug Cartel Distribution Routes
This week, there was a lot of news coverage over a big FBI sting where 46 federal indictments were issued across the country, charging people with smuggling drugs like heroin and cocaine on planes. Some got charged with other things, too, like money laundering — but the big deal here in Dallas was that most…
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Drug Cartels in North Texas: Big Business and Felony Crimes
In Dallas and Fort Worth, as well as the surrounding area here in North Texas, illegal drugs are a big (very big) business. Criminal defense lawyers here as well as police and prosecutors in both the state and federal systems understand in ways that the general public does not about the commercial success of selling…
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Texas Border Crisis, Human Trafficking, and Child Pornography Charges: Arrests are Coming
Today, President Obama is in Dallas where he will meet with Texas Governor Rick Perry regarding the current Texas border crisis, but odds remain high that the president will not travel to the Texas – Mexico border to see firsthand the crisis situation, where thousands and thousands of people from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, as…
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2014 Proposed Amendments to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines by the U.S. Sentencing Commission Added to Digital Library
The 2014 Proposed Amendments to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines by the United States Sentencing Commission (full text) have been added to the Michael Lowe Digital Library. by
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Major Changes to Federal Drug Crime Sentencing Guidelines Underway: DOJ’s Holder Helps Federal Criminal Defense Lawyers Get Lower Sentences for Drug Defendants
In 1986, Congress passed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act (”ADAA”) which formed a two level (aka two-tiered) formula for use in federal sentencing of certain kinds of drug traffickers. This was the first federal legislation passed as part of the “War on Drugs” (there were others, e.g., the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010). In the ADAA,…
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Marijuana Grow Defendant Receives Up to approximate 75% Reduction Federal Sentencing Guideline Range
Approximately three years ago, Mr. Lowe was hired to represent a local businessman that graduated from SMU with a degree in Economics. At that time, Mr. Lowe’s client was the target of a Federal IRS/HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas) investigation in an eventual six defendant Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana in the Dallas area. Mr….
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