What is drug trafficking in Florida? See 2026 weight thresholds and mandatory minimums by drug, how weight is proven, and how trafficking cases are defended.
Continue reading ›From First DUI to Death Penalty
What is drug trafficking in Florida? See 2026 weight thresholds and mandatory minimums by drug, how weight is proven, and how trafficking cases are defended.
Continue reading ›Rewrite/update date: November 3, 2026. Originally published in January 2025. The entrapment defense in Florida lets a jury acquit, or a judge dismiss, when police or their agents persuaded a person to commit a crime that person was not already ready to commit. Under section 777.201, Florida Statutes, the accused must first show that law…
Continue reading ›Rewrite/update date: November 2, 2026. Originally published in May 2025. After a Tampa sex sting arrest, the person is booked into the Orient Road Jail, sees a judge at first appearance within 24 hours, and usually faces several felony counts at once: computer solicitation of a child (third-degree felony), traveling to meet a minor (second-degree…
Continue reading ›Fully rewritten and updated October 26, 2026. Solicitation of a child using a computer is a crime under section 847.0135(3), Florida Statutes. It covers using a phone, computer, app, or any other electronic device to seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a child, or a person believed to be a child, to engage in unlawful sexual…
Continue reading ›Fully rewritten and updated October 26, 2026. Usually not. In Florida, prosecutors do not have to reveal a confidential informant’s identity unless the informant will testify at a hearing or trial, or unless keeping the identity secret would violate the defendant’s constitutional rights. Under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.220(g)(2) and Roviaro v. United States,…
Continue reading ›Fully rewritten and updated October 24, 2026. Yes, you can be charged in Florida after a vigilante predator catcher sting, even though no police officer was involved in the chat. Florida’s solicitation and traveling-to-meet-a-minor laws cover “a child or another person believed by the person to be a child,” so a fake profile run by…
Continue reading ›Fully rewritten and updated October 23, 2026. A Tampa escort sting is an undercover operation in which a detective with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) or the Tampa Police Department poses as an escort, online or on the street, and arrests the person who agrees to pay for sex. Most buyers are charged with…
Continue reading ›Sex Trafficking Charges | Online Sting Defense | Chapter 787 If you have been arrested—or suspect you are being investigated—for human trafficking in Tampa Bay, you may feel like your life is over. The shock, shame, and fear that follow are overwhelming. But being accused is not the same as being guilty. Most trafficking prosecutions…
Continue reading ›F.S. 847.0135(4) | Online Sting Defense | Second-Degree Felony If law enforcement arrested you—or you believe you are under investigation—for traveling to meet a minor in Tampa, you need to act immediately. These cases typically begin with undercover sting operations where officers pose as minors online. Even before the State Attorney files charges, the damage…
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