While being accused of any drug crime involving meth can put a person here in Illinois into a high-stakes situation, the situation can be particularly serious for individuals accused of being involved in the manufacturing of meth. This is because a conviction on charges related to participation in the manufacturing of meth has an added consequence in Illinois. This consequence is a type of consequence that one generally associates with sex crimes, not drug crimes.
The consequence is having to have one’s name, and other information, included on a public registry. The registry is called the Illinois Methamphetamine Manufacturer Registry. Under Illinois law, a person is to be put on the registry if they are given a conviction in the state on a charge or charges of participation in methamphetamine manufacturing. Among the things that are included along with a person’s name on the registry are the crimes they are on the registry for, the counties where the crimes occurred, the conviction dates for the crimes and the person’s birth date.
One could see how having one’s name on a list like this could hurt a person’s reputation severely and could possibly have negative implications for them when it comes to their options for employment.
This registry requirement is on top of the other severe punishments a person can be given for a conviction on meth manufacturing charges.
Given how high the stakes can be, one’s defense can be an incredibly important thing when facing meth manufacturing allegations. One of the things building a defense in a criminal case often involves is looking for weaknesses in the prosecution’s case. There are many things that can create weaknesses in a prosecution’s case. One are irregularities with how the prosecution’s evidence was obtained.
One of the major ways that authorities obtain evidence in drug cases is through searches and seizures. If a search and seizure conducted by authorities in a drug case failed to comply with proper procedures and was thus invalid, the evidence from the search and seizure (which could be a big part of the prosecution’s case) could be thrown out.
Criminal defense attorneys can help with investigations into the validity of a search and seizure and other things that can touch on the strength of a prosecution’s case.
Source: Illinois Attorney General, “Meth Laws,” Accessed Sept. 24, 2014
