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Fort Lauderdale · Broward County
From marijuana possession to trafficking charges across South Florida — attorney Tyler Williams examines every detail to reduce or dismiss the charge.
Drug arrests in Fort Lauderdale tend to come out of traffic stops and searches on I-95 and US-1 (Federal Highway), or from investigations that have been running for weeks before anyone is arrested. How the police found the drugs is usually the whole case. If the stop or the search was bad, the evidence can be suppressed.
Florida's drug statute, section 893.13, draws the line by substance and amount. Possession of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, meth, or pills without a prescription is a third-degree felony, up to five years, even for a single pill. Cannabis of 20 grams or less is a first-degree misdemeanor; over 20 grams is a felony. Paraphernalia is its own misdemeanor.
One consequence people don't see coming: a conviction for any drug offense, even one with no car involved, revokes your driver's license for six months under section 322.055. In Broward, that often hurts more than the probation.
Drugs in your pocket are actual possession, and the fight is over the search. Drugs in a center console, a shared bedroom, or a backpack on the floor are constructive possession, and the State has to prove you knew they were there and had control over them. Three people in a car, nobody admits anything: the State's proof against the driver is thin, and I make them show it. I wrote more about actual vs. constructive possession because it's the most misunderstood issue in these cases.
The same drugs with a scale, baggies, cash, or the wrong text messages become possession with intent to sell: a second-degree felony, up to 15 years, for cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, meth, or oxycodone. Near a school it carries a three-year minimum mandatory.
Trafficking under section 893.135 has nothing to do with selling. It's weight. Twenty-eight grams of cocaine. Four grams of heroin or fentanyl. Fourteen grams of meth, 25 pounds of cannabis, seven grams of oxycodone. Cross the line and the judge cannot go below a minimum mandatory sentence that starts at three years and rises to 25 as the weight goes up, with fines starting at $50,000. Weight includes the mixture, not just the pure drug, and only the prosecutor can waive the minimum. Those cases get my full attention from the first call.
Almost every drug case starts with a search, and the search is usually the whole case. Did the officer have a lawful reason to stop you? Did you actually consent, or just not say no? Was the dog sniff done after the reason for the stop had run out? Recent Florida appellate decisions have questioned whether the smell of marijuana alone justifies a search now that hemp smells the same. If the search was bad, the drugs are suppressed and the State has nothing. After the search I go to the lab: a roadside field test is not proof, the FDLE report is, and I read the chain of custody from the evidence bag to the analyst's bench.
Not every drug case has to end in a conviction. Broward runs felony and misdemeanor drug courts and the pretrial intervention and misdemeanor diversion programs, and I check every case for a diversion track first. As a certified legal intern at the State Attorney's Office in West Palm Beach, I watched drug files get built from the police report forward. Now I take them apart in the same order.
Drug cases from Fort Lauderdale Police Department, from misdemeanor possession to trafficking, are heard at the Broward County Judicial Complex (Central Courthouse) in downtown Fort Lauderdale. There is no regional courthouse step for Fort Lauderdale cases. Booking and first appearance details are on the Fort Lauderdale criminal defense page.
Possession of 20 grams or less without a medical card is a first-degree misdemeanor in Florida. More than 20 grams is a felony. Recent changes to how courts treat the smell of marijuana as probable cause have made some stops and searches easier to challenge.
Trafficking is based on weight, not intent to sell. Depending on the drug and the amount, Florida imposes minimum mandatory prison sentences starting at three years and rising to 25. Those numbers are why felony drug cases get our full attention from the first day.
Possibly. Broward has felony and misdemeanor diversion programs and a drug court track, and eligibility depends on the charge, your record, and the State’s agreement. I evaluate diversion in every drug case where it may be available.
This page is general information about Florida law and Broward County procedure, not legal advice for your specific case. Penalties and court assignments can change. We confirm the details when we speak.
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