The Illinois Controlled Substance Trafficking Act prohibits the transportation of any amount and class of illegal drugs across state lines.
Specific parameters exist to determine trafficking violations.
What is drug trafficking?
Prosecutors must prove the defendants did the following to establish a trafficking charge:
- Knew about the drugs in their possession
- Traveled across state lines with the drugs
- Intended to give those drugs to other people or use the ingredients to manufacture drugs
How does the quantity of drugs affect the charges?
There are various substances that the state considers illegal, and the amount and type of drug determine the charges. Higher quantities of narcotics may result in harsher charges.
- Any amount of imitation drugs or anabolic steroids – Misdemeanor with sentencings of 30 days to 2 years
- 200 or more grams of Amphetamines or Barbiturates; 30 or more grams of PCP or Oxycodone; 15 to 100 grams of Heroin, Fentanyl, LSD or Morphine – Class X Felony with jail times of six to 30 years
- 100 to 400 grams of Morphine, LSD, Heroin or Fentanyl – Class X Felony with sentences of nine to 40 years
- 900 grams of LSD, Fentanyl, Morphine or Heroin – Class X Felony with 15 to 60-year sentences
- 50 to 200 grams of Amphetamines; one to 15 grams of Cocaine, Heroin or Fentanyl; five to 15 grams of LSD; 50 to 100 grams of Oxycodone – Class I felony with sentences of four to 15 years
- All drugs listed in Class 1 in amounts less than the minimum – Class II felony with three to seven years in jail
Knowing the life-changing consequences of violating Illinois’s drug trafficking laws may discourage people from participating in this illegal activity.
