Superior, Wisconsin | Duluth, Minnesota drug offenses

Stephen R Zuber, S.C.Attorney At Law has over 30 years experience in tackling difficult criminal drug cases in Superior, Wisconsin as well as Duluth, Minnesota, and their surrounding areas. As a former special prosecutor and criminal trial specialist (National Board of Trial Advocacy), Attorney Zuber has extensive knowledge of understanding the criminal justice system, with respect to both sides of your case. When people are accused of a crime involving drugs, they face the terrible prospect of going to jail, or of it affecting future possibilities. Mr. Zuber will aggressively represent you and help you protect your rights.

Police and prosecutors aggressively pursue drug charges, which is the origin of the moniker “The War on Drugs.” When you are arrested for possession of any form of illegal drug, such as marijuana (cannabis), cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, crack (rock cocaine), ecstasy or other illegal drugs defined as controlled substances under Wisconsin or Minnesota law, you may face serious penalties, including incarceration in county jail or state prison, fines and a misdemeanor or felony conviction. Although the precise nature of your penalties and grading of your offense will depend upon a number of factors like the type of drug, amount of the drug, location of your arrest, past criminal record, use of a gun and other factors, the potential penalties can affect many aspects of your life. Drug convictions must follow strict sentencing guidelines and can be attributed to a significant increase in the current inmate population of the Minnesota & Wisconsin Department of Corrections. Depending on the Drug Crime you are accused of, you could be facing a small fine or up to $200,000 in fines and several years in prison. Regardless of the offense you are accused of, you deserve an aggressive defense.

As an experienced Drug Crimes criminal defense attorney, Stephen Zuber can perform a thorough risk assessment and tell you upfront what you can expect, whether you have been charged with a misdemeanor or a felony offense. He won't tell you what you want to hear, only what you need to hear, in straightforward, uncomplicated language. Experience you can trust with Attorney Stephen Zuber on your side, you can be assured he will do everything in his power to aggressively fight against the charges to get them reduced or dismissed. He understands your future is at stake and what consequences a conviction for a Drug Crime can have on your future.

•  Cocaine Possession

•  Delivery of a Controlled Substance

•  Distribution of drugs

•  Drug conspiracy

•  Drug trafficking

•  Ecstasy Possession

•  Heroin Possession

•  Importation of drugs

•  Intent to deliver

•  Manufacturing of drugs

•  Marijuana Possession

•  Possession of Controlled Substance

•  Prescription drug fraud

•  Sale of drugs

•  Source of Bail Hearing 

​•  Transportation of drugs

Any conviction of a Drug Crimes offense, even possession of a small amount of marijuana, will show up on your criminal record and be viewable to current and future employers. More serious drug charges such as possession of large quantities of drugs, intent to deliver, manufacturing and trafficking can result in the government seizing assets or property it believes to have been acquired with money from illegal drug activity. This is why you need Attorney Stephen Zuber to challenge drug possession charges. Because the consequences of any drug conviction, even one for “simple possession,” can impact many aspects of your life, such as career opportunities, eligibility for residency/citizenship, housing choices and other negative effects, you should immediately assert your right to remain silent until you have an attorney present to represent your interests and defend your legal rights. There is one key word that you should get used to saying: “No!” If the police request to search your home, business or car or want you to participate in an interview, you should never give your consent unless an experienced criminal defense attorney advises you to give consent.

Stephen R Zuber has over 30 years of experience representing those accused of all types of drug offenses, including possession of narcotics, he understands the importance of aggressive early intervention and investigation. Drug possession cases often involve evidence that is suspect, including use of informants with criminal records and/or questionable credibility, searches that violate Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizures and statements obtained involuntarily or in violation of Miranda protections. When Attorney Zuber takes a drug possession case, his primary goal will be to develop a defense that will allow us to obtain dismissal of the charges or to obtain an acquittal at trial. While sometimes the nature of the evidence and seriousness of the charges might make it advisable to accept a carefully and aggressively negotiated plea agreement, Mr. Zuber believes that the best plea deals arise from tenaciously pursuing the most effective defense strategies.

Mr. Zuber’s philosophy is that only plea deals obtained from a position of strength will provide the maximum protection and advantage to his clients. Attorney Zuber employs a wide array of resources when investigating the facts so that he can construct effective defense strategies in drug possession cases which include the use of private investigators and drug toxicology experts. Attorney Zuber will also aggressively pursue discovery, which may involve seeking all law enforcement investigative reports, relevant audio and video recordings, samples of the alleged controlled substance, officer disciplinary records and other physical evidence. This factual investigation is supported by strong legal research. While discovery of exculpatory evidence is the goal, the judge determines what evidence will be admissible. Careful legal research can assure that we are able to use the evidence we uncover while providing legal arguments to exclude evidence that the prosecutor seeks to introduce at trial.

•  Criminal Drug Conspiracy

•  Delivery a Controlled Substance

•  Possession of a controlled substance

•  Possession of a Look-alike Substance - Criminal Offense

•  Possession of drug paraphernalia

•  Trafficking of a Controlled Substance

•  Unauthorized Possession of a Prescription.

There are many effective defense strategies that may prevent a Wisconsin & Minnesota possession of narcotics conviction. 

• No Evidence of Possession: The law does not prohibit being in the vicinity of drugs, it only makes it illegal to possess a controlled substance. While possession can be “constructive,” such as when you ask someone to hold drugs for you, the prosecutor must prove that the drugs belong to you. If you are driving your vehicle, the police may stop you and find drugs under the seat or in the glove box. The drugs may have been placed there by someone else without your knowledge. When clients are charged with drug possession in Minnesota or Wisconsin, Attorney Zuber may dispute whether you were “in possession” if the drugs are not found on your person.

• Improper Search and Seizure: The Fourth Amendment protects citizens from unreasonable search and seizures by law enforcement officers. The police may not stop you on the street or pull over your vehicle without specific information that provides “reasonable suspicion” that you were engaged in criminal activity. When the police have sufficient legal basis for the stop, they must still have a warrant to conduct many searches. Sometimes the police will proceed with a search based on an exception to the warrant requirement, such as the “exigent circumstances” exception to preserve evidence or to check for weapons.

Mr. Zuber has successfully challenged the applicability of these exceptions and has further established that the police acted in bad faith using these exceptions as mere pretext. Even when the police obtain a warrant their search may exceed the scope of the warrant, such as when the police search places not authorized by the warrant. When evidence is obtained during an illegal detention or search, Mr. Zuber may file for suppression of all evidence recovered from the illegal activity of the police. NEVER EVER CONSENT TO A SEARCH! Defects that would clearly make a search illegal can be cured by your granting consent to the search.

Miranda Violations/Involuntary Statements: If you are arrested for drug possession in Wisconsin or Minnesota, you should clearly assert that you do not wish to answer any questions without your Wisconsin or Minnesota criminal defense attorney. If the police do not provide a Miranda warning once you are “in custody” or disregard your decision to exercise your rights to decline to be interviewed without an attorney, this may provide a basis to exclude damaging statements. Further, if statements are not obtained voluntarily, this may also provide a basis to have incriminating statements excluded. However, these issues involve a somewhat murky area so you should clearly, unequivocally and repeatedly express your desire not to speak to the police until your attorney is present.

While Mr. Zuber’s goal is to obtain a dismissal or acquittal where this is a viable option, there are certain favorable plea dispositions that may be worth pursuing depending on the specific facts and circumstances of your case. If you were arrested with a less serious drug or a small amount, Mr. Zuber may be able to get the charges dismissed without a criminal conviction if you perform community service and/or completion of a drug treatment program. Attorney Stephen R Zuber is dedicated to fighting the serious consequences of a conviction for possession of narcotics. Mr. Zuber carefully investigates the facts so that he can build the strongest legal and factual defenses to possession charges involving controlled substances.