Los Angeles Criminal Attorney Blog

At least 35 people were arrested recently in Baldwin Village by a joint law enforcement team that included both the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), according to an article in The Los Angeles Times. The people arrested were believed by authorities to be involved in drug trafficking and/or gang activity in the area. They included both men and women for alleged drug trafficking.

According to the article, both state and federal law enforcement officers have been concerned with drug trafficking in the Baldwin Village area for at least 10 years. Six years ago, a raid similar to the most recent one resulted in 28 arrests of suspected gang members, all of whom were believed by authorities to be running the illegal-drug trade in the area.

The LAPD believes that, although Baldwin Village covers less than one square mile, it houses several hundred gang members. Most or all of these people allegedly belong to the Black P Stones gang. Law enforcement officers suspect that, in addition to the drug charges, these people may also have been involved in recent theft, assault, and carjacking incidents in the area.

Criminal charges in California can be overwhelming to face, particularly when they involve felonies such as drug trafficking, which can carry severe penalties for someone who is convicted. At The Law Offices of Lawrence Wolf, our Los Angeles drug crime defense lawyers have the legal resources and the courtroom experience needed to present an aggressive defense on your behalf, fighting for the best possible outcome in your case while ensuring your rights are protected. To learn more, call The Law Offices of Lawrence Wolf today at 1-800-968-2734.

When stopping a driver on suspicion of drunk driving, a police officer may require the driver to take a chemical test to determine the driver’s blood alcohol content (BAC). Although a chemical test for BAC can be done on a driver’s breath, blood, or urine, most officers begin with an alcohol breath test administered by using a breathalyzer or similar machine.

Like all machines, however, a breath test machine is only as reliable as the person running it. Mistakes in using the breath test machine can cause the reading to be higher than the driver’s BAC actually is, resulting in an arrest or even criminal charges; even though the driver was not in fact violating California’s drunk driving laws.

For instance, a breath test machine will pick up any residual alcohol in the person’s mouth and add it to the reading. A driver who has recently used certain kinds of cold medicine, mouthwash, or other alcohol-containing products may therefore test positive for blood alcohol, even if they are sober. In addition to alcohol left in the mouth, certain other substances can cause some breath test machines to “detect” alcohol whether or not it’s actually present. For instance, some breath test machines are sensitive to cigarette residue, ether, chloroform, or acetone.

Experienced Los Angeles DUI lawyer Lawrence Wolf understands that errors in breath testing can result in improper arrests or charges, and he fights for the best possible outcome in each client’s case. For a free and confidential consultation, call The Law Offices of Lawrence Wolf today at 866-390-7373.

When a police officer suspects a driver is driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI), the officer may stop the driver in order to search for more clues that the driver has been drinking. Often, police will have a stopped driver perform one or more tests. Known as the standardized field sobriety tests, these activities are designed to provide clues for police officers that confirm whether or not a person is driving impaired. The three most common standardized field sobriety tests are the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, the one-leg stand test, and the walk-and-turn test.

The horizontal gaze nystagmus tests whether the driver’s eyes can follow something smoothly, or if the eyes start to jerk involuntarily the further they look to the side. This jerking movement may be a sign of alcohol intoxication. It may also be a sign of several different neurological defects.

Both the one-leg stand test and the walk-and-turn test require the driver to demonstrate balance and agility. Usually, police officers give all the instructions for the test first, and then wait to see how well a driver can remember and follow them. Meanwhile, the officer is looking for any signs that the driver is intoxicated, even though both tests are difficult to perform correctly, even if a person is sober and able-bodied. People who are tired or who have any one of a wide range of neurological or movement problems are far more likely to fail the test than able-bodied people, even if they have not been drinking.

How well or poorly a driver does on the standardized field sobriety tests are often key pieces of evidence in the prosecution’s case charging a driver with a DUI in California. If you are facing drunk driving charges in California, the experienced Los Angeles DUI attorneys at The Law Offices of Lawrence Wolf will examine your case carefully, including the results of any sobriety testing, and will fight for the best possible outcome in your case. For a free and confidential consultation regarding your DUI case, call 866-390-7373 today.

After a year of investigating suspected drug crimes in the Los Angeles area, police have arrested 13 individuals whom they believe are dealing drugs in Los Angeles and surrounding communities, according to an article in The Santa Maria Times.

Officers from Santa Maria, Santa Barbara County, and San Luis Obispo County teamed up with agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other local police departments to carry out the investigation, which looked into the activities of gangs in the area as officers searched for signs of illegal drug-related activities. Most of the 13 people arrested are members of one of the gangs under surveillance. Nine of them were arrested on May 2 in a sweep that involved 125 police officers.

A Los Angeles grand jury has indicted 10 of the arrested people on federal charges, charging them with possessing, selling, and/or distributing methamphetamine. Police are still looking for one of the suspects. Four more people were arrested on suspicion of violating California criminal laws, and they will likely face felony charges filed by the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office.

Whether you are charged with violating state law, federal law, or both, being convicted of a felony that involves drugs means facing heavy penalties, including prison time. An aggressive defense by an experienced Los Angeles drug crime defense attorney offers you the best chance of avoiding or reducing these penalties while protecting your rights. At The Law Offices of Lawrence Wolf, we understand the seriousness of drug crime charges and will fight for the best possible outcome in your case. For a confidential consultation, call us at 866-390-7373 today.

A man was recently convicted of murder after his chest tattoos indicated that he had been involved in a murder that took place outside a Pico Rivera liquor store in 2004. Now, detectives allege that the man is involved in a drug-smuggling ring in the Los Angeles County Jail, distributing heroin and methamphetamines to fellow prisoners, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Los Angeles County detectives claim that while they were investigating the man’s connection to the liquor store murder, they discovered a conspiracy among the man, his mother, his brother, a fellow prisoner, and the prisoner’s girlfriend to sneak drugs into the county jail. Police claim that when the man’s co-conspirator and fellow prisoner arrived at the jail to begin serving his sentence related to a separate felony, he was smuggling heroin and methamphetamine. The man, along with the others whom police say are involved in the drug-smuggling ring, has been charged with a felony. Sheriff’s detectives claim that all five people were involved in the plan to smuggle drugs into the jail, but they say they have not yet figured out how each of the five people planned to smuggle the drugs in or distribute them once they arrived.

If you are facing drug crime charges in Los Angeles, please don’t hesitate to contact the experienced Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys at The Law Offices of Lawrence Wolf. We understand the severity of the charges made against you and will examine your case carefully in order to fight for the best possible outcome. Call 866-390-7373 for a free consultation.