Legal Question in Criminal Law in Wisconsin

Federal Drug Charges

Your friend needs a good attorney as soon as possible; however, a public defender can be a good attorney. They are required to have the same license and education as private attorneys and have to obey the same code of professional ethics. They are often more experienced than many private attorneys and extremely talented; yet they are also overburdened by very large case loads. If you hire a private attorney for your friend, odds are that attorney will have a good deal more time to devote to your friend's case than most public defenders. This often means more time spent communicating with a client and the client's family, which can be crucial to the eventual result. Federal drug conspiracy charges are grave matters and the sentencing ranges which you quote of up to 50 years seem realistic. However, for some defendants with bad records, the sentence could be a long as life imprisonment. The federal sentencing guidelines are often followed closely be US District Court judges, hence you are best off going through them on the US Federal Sentencing Commission's website. The length of sentence varies greatly depending upon the total quantity of drugs moved by all participants in the conspiracy, as well as the amount touched by any individual defendant. Numerous other factors such as cooperation and acceptance of responsibility can further reduce sentences. Answering your question is therefore impossible due to the limited information you have provided. Please feel free to provide more information via private email and I will try to assist.