Cocaine Possession

How Illinois Classifies Illegal Drugs

In Illinois, it is against the law to possess any amount of cocaine. Cocaine is a powerful stimulant that is derived from the South American coca plant. Illinois classifies illegal drugs according to schedules. The penalties for possession of drugs vary based on what schedule those drugs are classified. Here’s a breakdown of the drug schedules in Illinois:

  • Schedule I – This is for the common street drugs like cocaine, heroin, marijuana, crack.  These are drugs that have a high potential for abuse, no accepted medical use, or are unsafe for medical use even under medical supervision.
  • Schedule II – This is for drugs such as cocoa leaves and opium.  These are drugs that have a high potential for abuse, have an accepted medical use, and can result in severe physical and psychological dependence if abused.
  • Schedule III – This is for drugs such as steroids.  These are drugs that have a potential for abuse less serious than the other 2 listed above that are used by doctors to treat medical issues and have a low addiction risk.
  • Schedule IV – This is for drugs such as diazepam.  These are drugs that have a lower potential for abuse, have an accepted medical use and may lead to limited dependence.
  • Schedule V – This is for prescription drugs that have the lowest potential for abuse.  These are drugs that have medical use and contain very small amounts of narcotics.

Cocaine is a Schedule I drug, which means that it carries the harshest penalties under Illinois law.

What Are the Penalties for Possession of Cocaine?

The penalties for Possession of Cocaine depend on the amount of cocaine you are caught with. Here’s the breakdown of possible penalties based on the amount:

  • Less than 15 grams – Class 4 Felony.
  • 15 to 100 grams – Class 1 Felony.
  • 100 to 400 grams – Class X Felony.
  • 400 to 900 grams – 8 to 40 years in prison.
  • Over 900 grams – 10 to 50 years in prison.

Why Hire John D. Ioakimidis for Your Possession of a Cocaine Case?

We have a proven track record of fighting and winning drug cases in Illinois. We have won cases that other lawyers would be afraid to take. We will go over all the evidence and make sure that the state followed the law. We will challenge the state’s case vigorously. Many Possession of Cocaine cases involve issues concerning search warrants, probable cause to stop you and conduct a search, bad information used to obtain a search warrant, whether the search exceeded the scope of the search warrant, whether consent to search was obtained and whether the state will be trying to use your statement and if that statement was appropriately obtained. Because of our experience, we can spot issues that other, less experienced attorneys, will not even realize are there. As we poke holes in the state’s case, the state will often back down and reduce or dismiss the charges as their case starts to crumble. We will stop at nothing to win your case.

If you hire us, you will get the personal cell phone of your attorneys. We are a team of lawyers and we use our collective efforts to pool our resources to win your case. You can contact us anytime to discuss your case or have any of your questions asked. We will guide you through the legal process and make sure you always know what is happening with your case and understand what is going on.

If you have a Possession of Cocaine case in Cook County, Lake County, DuPage County or Kane County, give us a call.  We Can Help.