The Challenge
An informant told law enforcement that a truck was carrying cocaine from San Diego to Los Angeles. Officers followed it to a ride-share parking lot. Inside they found about 244 kilograms of cocaine, roughly 540 pounds. Our client was the driver, a drug courier, not the owner of the load. He was charged with transportation of a controlled substance under Health and Safety Code 11352, with a weight enhancement that added up to 25 years.
Our Strategy
We started with the stop. An informant tip must be reliable and corroborated before it justifies following and searching a vehicle. We examined every step officers took from the tip to the truck. We then focused on our client’s role. A driver is not an organizer, and the law treats that difference seriously. Through negotiation with the prosecution, the case resolved at a sentence many years below what prosecutors had sought.
The Result
SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED SENTENCE
Your Case Belongs at the Southwest Justice Center.
Your Defense Belongs Here.
If you were arrested in Temecula, Murrieta, Menifee, Wildomar, Lake Elsinore, Winchester, or French Valley, your future will likely be decided at the Southwest Justice Center (SWJC) on Auld Road. In these courtrooms, local knowledge is the ultimate advantage. Since 1999, Nic Cocis has been a weekly fixture in the SWJC, appearing before the same judges and negotiating with the same Riverside County prosecutors for over 25 years. We don’t just know the law — we know the specific nuances, procedural quirks, and judicial tendencies of the Southwest District. Whether you are facing a felony or a misdemeanor, you need a firm that treats the Southwest Justice Center as its home turf.
