The Six-Year Itch: A Cautionary Tale About Bringing Your Gun to a Drug Deal

Criminal defense lawyers have many strategies for turning things in your favor.  Their greatest superpower is a thorough knowledge of the law.  They know the rights of people accused of crimes and people interacting with police inside and out, and they can tell when the police or the prosecutors were breaking the rules, even when you can’t.  They also have time to research all the details on the evidence relevant to your case, so that they can rebut the prosecution’s claims or even have some pieces of evidence declared inadmissible in court.  Criminal defense lawyers also belong to the same professional network as prosecutors, and they can use their professional relationships to negotiate plea deals to reduce your charges or sentence to a fraction of what it originally was.  What they cannot do is change mandatory minimum sentencing laws.  If you get convicted of selling drugs while a firearm is in your possession, you will face a prison sentence of at least six years.  Yes, you can appeal your conviction, but a minimum sentence is a minimum sentence; this is why a Texas woman is doing life for drunk driving despite that she has never caused an accident and why a California man is serving a life sentence for shoplifting VHS tapes from a K-Mart in the 1990s.  If you are facing criminal charges for selling illegal drugs while in possession of a firearm, contact a Florida drug offenses attorney.

Orlando Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Counterfeit Prescription Pills to Undercover Officer

After pleading guilty to distribution of fentanyl and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug crime, Sebastian Gabriel Lugo-Lugo, 20, received a sentence of six years and one day.  An undercover officer had bought marijuana and counterfeit prescription pills from Lugo-Lugo, who carried a gun with him to the transaction.  The pills tested positive for fentanyl, a similar synthetic opioid called p-Flurofentanyl, and the veterinary tranquilizer xylazine.

Sanford Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Drugs Near Playground

In December 2024, San’Drevious Jerome Lane, 23, pleaded guilty to distribution drugs near a playground and to carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.  Playgrounds are among the prohibited zones where, if you are convicted of selling drugs near them, you can face enhanced sentencing penalties; other such zones include schools and churches.  Lane received a felony conviction for an unrelated offense in 2022; therefore, he is no longer legally allowed to possess firearms.  In June 2024, he sold cocaine 800 feet away from a playground.  His sentencing will take place in 2025.  He could face anywhere from six years to life.

Contact FL Drug Defense Group About Drug Cases

A Central Florida criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are a defendant in a drug case involving a drug transaction where a firearm was present, or if you have a previous drug conviction.  Contact FL Drug Defense Group in Orlando, Florida to discuss your case.

Sources:

justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/sanford-felon-pleads-guilty-possessing-firearms-and-distributing-narcotics-near

justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/orlando-man-sentenced-more-six-years-fentanyl-and-firearm-offenses