Top Drug Crime Defense Attorney, Matthew Ruff

Call Matthew Directly For A Consultation at 310-527-4100

If you have been arrested or charged with possession of drugs with intent to sell you need the best attorney working on your behalf. Matt has 25 years experience defending good people charged with doing sometimes very terrible things. Offenses such as possession with intent to sell, actual sales, distribution and other controlled substance violations are well within Matt's wheelhouse.

Case of the Month : Matthew was retained by a client arrested for possession for sale of Fentanyl (Health and Safety Code 11378) in Los Angeles County. The client was found with over 2 Kilos of Fentanyl and Methamphetamine in his home. Matthew resolved the case for Probation.

Drug possession, sales and transportation are all crimes associated with those suffering from drug addiction. If you or a loved one has been arrested on serious drug charges attorney Matthew Ruff can help. Nowadays, a drug possession conviction will make it harder to keep and obtain employment, licenses, and security clearances. For well over a decade he has been helping people from all walks of life to keep their record clean and avoid jail on virtually every type of drug offense in California.

In this decade heroin has reached epidemic proportions in Torrance, the South Bay and throughout Los Angeles. Local authorities say its use has outpaced that of cocaine and methamphetamine. Heroin is showing up everywhere, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills and Redondo Beach. The perception of a "junkie" has also changed. Kids from well to do families, good kids, have evolved from weed and prescription drugs such as Vicodin and Percocet to straight heroin. Users have gone from smoking it to shooting it up. For most it started with pain pills which are chemically identical to heroin, just a far greater potency. Unfortunately, the cost of heroin has dropped in recent years and it can now be obtained easier and cheaper than pills. The average hit or use can be had for $10 or less. Most of the Heroin on the streets nowadays comes from Mexico. Undercover police officers have ramped up their efforts to curb its availability by conducting sting operations. If you or someone you love suffers from heroin addiction that has led to an arrest for possession, transportation or sales, Matthew can help. Matt has extensive experience defending good folks trying to pull themselves from the grip of opiate addiction. He knows how to navigate a person through the criminal justice system. He can help getting treatment, rehab and other alternatives to jail or prison. Some ignore the problem, afraid of the stigma attached to drug use. Drug addiction is a chronic relapsing brain disease that needs to be treated not by imprisoning people but getting them help, medically, not criminally.

In recent years, drug possession has included a vast number of prescription drugs that include Fentanyl, Hydrocodone, Xanax, Oxycodone, Clonazepam, Valium or Diazepam, Percocet, Vicodin, Norco and Soma. These substances have legitimate uses but are sometimes abused and have been named some of the "deadliest drugs" in a recent Los Angeles Times article. Pharmacists have been informed to notify law enforcement for suspicious activity such as questionable presciptions that may have been forged by addicts. California law has cracked down on these types of drugs and the law will likely get tougher on people who misuse the substances. Fortunately, Matthew Ruff has extensive experience in these classes of crimes and knows how to keep those accused of unlawful possession of these offenses out of jail and to help get treatment for their addictions.

As one of the most experienced Drug Lawyers with the background of defending over one thousand narcotics cases, he uses innovative approaches and legal motions to prevail in Court. Some of the more common controlled substance, narcotics and drug charges he has defended include:

• Simple Possession
• Possession with intent to sell
• Transportation
• Possession of drug paraphernalia
• Under the influence of controlled substance
• Manufacturing
• Prescription drugs
• Sales of Narcotics
• Maintaining a residence for sales
• Possession of drugs while armed
• Trafficking and Hidden Compartments
• Medical Marijuana
• Driving Under the Influence of Drugs
• Possession while armed with a firearm

Most drug crimes in California are felony offenses. If you are convicted of a felony you could be facing substantial jail time, loss of your rights and a permanent scar on your record. Our office takes these charges very seriously, we find ways to get the charges dropped. Some of the legal defenses we have utilized include:

• Challenging the search on Fourth Amendment grounds
• Violations of Fifth Amendment, Miranda
• Transitory Possession
• Lack of Intent
• Insufficient Evidence of Knowledge
• Lack of Dominion or Control
• Illegal Traffic Stop, No Probable Cause
• Statutory Motions to Dismiss
• Police Misconduct, False reports
• Laboratory Testing Error
• Toxicology Mistakes
• Lying Police Informants

There are myriad of ways to fight a drug charge, in addition to attacking the evidence at trial, we can oftentimes attempt early dispositions of cases through the use of diversion and alternative sentencing agreements. These dispositions may allow a case to be dismissed following some drug counseling, treatment program or classes. Having a drug charge dismissed has the benefit of allowing the person to not have to disclose a criminal conviction on job or employment applications and save them from the lifelong stigma and embarrassment of a drug conviction. Whether it be marijuana, concentrated cannabis, methamphetamine, heroin, Ecstasy, medical cannabis, prescription pills, our criminal defense attorney has defended people against all controlled substances in California with the best results. We can help you!

Case Example 1

Recently our client was stopped for an alleged traffic infraction while driving his motor vehicle in Los Angeles County. The officers used a pretext to search his car and found a small quantity of narcotics (cocaine and methamphetamine). He was arrested on drug possession charges and spent the night in jail before being bailed out. We were hired by the client's family and immediately obtained copies of the police reports and arranged a conference with the District Attorney handling the case. A conviction for any drug possession charge would mean a loss of his job and professional license. Therefore, we negotiated a dismissal of the narcotics possession charges and were able to have the arrest and all Court records of the case removed from public view in accordance with statutory provisions.

Case Example 2

Mr. Ruff was retained to represent a client in custody at the Carson Sheriff station. The client was arrested for possession with the intent to sell controlled substances (H&S 11378) following a search of his home pursuant to a search warrant. The client was already on felony probation in another case. Los Angeles Criminal Lawyer Matthew Ruff met with the Deputy District Attorney before going to Compton Court and negotiated a deal for a misdemeanor with credit for time served and no violation of probation.

Case Example 3

Our client was stopped by the police for an alleged traffic violation. During the stop, the police searched his car and found drugs (H&S 11377) and determined the client was under the influence (H&S 11550). The accused needed a Torrance Drug Possession Defense Attorney. Matthew Ruff was hired and immediately filed a motion to suppress, (PC 1538.5), based on what he believed was an illegal traffic stop and detention. Because of Mr. Ruff's vast background in having personally defended over a thousand of these types of cases, he can sift out the meritorious drug cases from those that are not. Following a full hearing, the Court granted his motion and all charges were dismissed.

Case Example 4

Mr. Ruff's client was arrested in Torrance following a car stop. The officers searched her vehicle and found a quantity of narcotics and she was charged with possession with intent to sell and transportation. The client lived outside Los Angeles County . She retained our office and Mr. Ruff went to Torrance Court and set the case for a hearing. The Lawyer had confidence that he could get the charges dropped as the evidence failed to establish she was selling or intended to sell drugs. On the day of the hearing all charges were dismissed and the client walked out of Court with a clean record.

Case Example 5

Drug Possession Lawyer, Matthew Ruff was hired by a client's wife after he was arrested for H&S 11377 in Torrance. The client had a prior and was facing loss of his job as a union construction worker. Matthew got the police reports and saw a clear violation of the clients 4th amendment rights. The LA Sheriff's deputy unlawfully detained the client prior to searching his car. Matthew filed a PC1538.5 suppression motion in the Torrance Court prior to the preliminary hearing, at the hearing Matthew persuaded the Judge that the clients rights were violated and all charges were dismissed.

If you or someone you know is facing the devastating effects of a controlled substance drug arrest, contact attorney Matthew J. Ruff for a free consultation regarding your particular case. he can meet with you confidentially and discuss your rights, options and possible strategies of defense. Drug convictions, like no other, have catastrophic consequences on a persons record. If you or a loved one allow a drug charge to become part of your permanent file you may be excluded from obtaining certain positions of employment, be ineligible for various types of government aid, including school loans, grants, etc. An experienced attorney with real world knowledge of the judicial system can assist you in avoiding the stigma of a drug conviction. Call us toll free today for a no obligation case review and assessment at 1-877-213-4453.