What Drug Crimes Are Most Common in Will County

 Posted on August 22, 2019 in Uncategorized

If you live in Will County, your biggest concern with the police may be losing your driver’s license for driving under the influence (DUI). However, your chance of being arrested for a drug crime is actually higher than your chance of being arrested for DUI. Each year in Will County, around 1,200 people are arrested for DUI while about 2,900 are arrested for a drug crime. That is more than twice as many arrests for drugs than for DUI.

How Will County Drug Crimes Compare to Other Counties

Of all Will County drug arrests in 2016, 43 percent were for cannabis, 32 percent for drug paraphernalia, and 25 percent involved controlled substances such as heroin or cocaine. Relative to the rest of the state, Will County has a lower proportion of the more serious controlled substance violations. Statewide, 42 percent of drug arrests were for cannabis, 29 percent for drug paraphernalia, and 29 percent involved controlled substances such as heroin.

The counties with the highest rate of controlled substance arrests were Cook and Kankakee. Controlled substances made up 41 percent of drug arrests in Cook County and 38 percent in Kankakee County. Illinois Drug Crimes and Penalties

Drug paraphernalia (720 ILCS 600/) includes objects used to consume drugs, such as pipes and syringes, as well as objects used to grow, manufacture, or package drugs. Unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia is a Class A misdemeanor in Illinois, punishable usually by probation, although a sentence of up to one year in jail is possible. There is also a mandatory $750 fine on top of court costs, with a maximum possible fine of $2,500, and the objects will be confiscated without compensation or the possibility of return.

Possession of more than 100 grams of cannabis or any quantity of Schedule I or II controlled substances such as heroin or cocaine is a felony crime punishable by probation, one year or more in state prison and/or fines as high as $25,000 or more (720 ILCS 570/402).

A Will County Drug Possession Defense Attorney

If you have been charged with a drug possession crime in Will County, contact an experienced Joliet drug possession defense lawyer as soon as possible and well before your first court appearance. Call attorney Jack L. Zaremba at 815-740-4025 for a free consultation. We respond to calls around the clock. The sooner you call, the sooner we can begin working on your defense.