Welcome to our website. 420Dude.com is a service of Texas Criminal Defense Attorney Jamie Balagia, aka "The Dude." The Law Offices of Jamie Balagia, PC has years of defending people charged with marijuana, drug and alcohol related crimes in the Austin, TX and San Antonio, TX areas, and all areas in between.
If you've been arrested for a San Antonio or Austin drug or possession of marijuana charge there are several things you need to know immediately.
- It is likely that your social networking pages will be scoured for evidence against you. You don't have to delete your pages, but you should make sure that you have deleted any posts that discuss illegal activities of any kind, and make sure not to post such messages in the future.
- The police do not need a warrant to seize any trash you set out on the curb for trash pickup. The US Supreme Court has labeled such trash as abandoned property and, as such, as said that anyone can collect it without a warrant - including the government.
- Anything you say in public that can be overheard by the public can be overheard by the police. Watch what you say about your case to anyone but someone from my office.
- Do not assume that just because you were arrested, but have not been charged yet that the case will go away. Often, they are just waiting for the lab results to come back before formally charging you.
- Do not discuss a deal with the police where you will act as their informant without first talking to a lawyer. The police are permitted to lie to you about many things. Don't ever agree to act as a confidential informant without first talking to an attorney. Most often it is not in your benefit to act as a confidential informant even after you have spoken to an attorney.
Before you get stopped by the police you need to memorize our Three Document Rule! Doing so will help you avoid unnecessary criminal charges.
A Texas Possession of Marijuana charge has serious lifetime consequences that many people are unaware of when they are charged with a POM or other drug related charge. For instance, did you know that if you are convicted of a Texas Possession of Marijuana charge you may not be eligible to receive Federal Student Aid? If you are arrested for a Texas possession of marijuana or drug possession you need a highly skilled criminal defense attorney who knows how to challenge the officers tactics and testimony. You need the Dude, Attorney Jamie Balagia. Fill out the form to the right of this page now or call 210-394-3833.
More often than not police officers could not have searched the person, their vehicle, or their house without the consent of the suspect because they lacked probable cause or a warrant. Yet, the United States Supreme Court, as well as courts all over the nation have held that once you consent to a search, you then all but lose the right to challenge the officer's probable cause to search you. That's why I advise you to never consent to a police search of you, your car, your house or anything else you own. You don't have to prove you're in the right to the police. They have to prove you're in the wrong!
Don't let lies and manipulation trick you into giving up your rights. Just say "No" when the police ask you questions about your life, your drug use, where you're coming from, or where you're going to. This is your first and strongest line of defense to beating a Texas drug case.
Check out the rest of our pages, and if you are facing a Texas drug charge fill out the form to your right and let us get to work defending you today!
