When you’re a business owner, facing criminal drug charges comes with extra concerns that go beyond your personal legal issues. Drug charges can impact your daily operations, the ability to maintain professional licenses, customer relationships, and your reputation.
To protect your business, it’s crucial to take immediate action. Here’s where to start.
Get legal representation immediately
First and foremost, secure a drug crime lawyer fast. You have enough on your plate to deal with, and the faster you get an attorney, the less stress you’ll have when managing your business affairs.
“Drug charges can destroy your business even if you’re found innocent,” says a lawyer from SBBL Law. “Having an experienced defense attorney isn’t just about fighting the charges—it’s about protecting your entire life moving forward.”
Get a lawyer who fully understands the impact your charges can have on your business in addition to your personal life. You want someone experienced because there are unique challenges business owners face in the legal system.
Instruct your employees to preserve relevant records
Regardless of whether or not your charges are related to your business or involve anyone working for the company, don’t risk being charged with evidence tampering. Instruct your employees to immediately preserve all relevant documents, including time cards and emails, to ensure nothing is destroyed or altered.
Certain records may be required to prove your whereabouts or other connections. You won’t know ahead of time what records you might be ordered to hand over, so get prepared for anything.
Implement your business continuity plan
If you already have a business continuity plan, start implementing it right away. If your absence will disrupt operations to any degree, this is crucial. If you don’t have a plan yet, start creating one or hire someone to create it for you. At a minimum, you’ll need a temporary manager to maintain operations while you go to court, and possibly long-term if you are sentenced to time in jail.
Hire someone to cover all the responsibilities you handle and appoint a temporary CEO to make decisions on your behalf. Most importantly, add a decision-maker to your business accounts to ensure someone you trust can effectively handle your finances and other account issues while you’re away.
Communicate to your employees (and stakeholders) right away
Don’t wait to tell your team what’s going on because they’ll need time to adjust to the changes. The more time they have, the easier it will be to make that transition. Maintain transparency, but don’t overshare.
Be sure to protect your legal interests and only explain what’s necessary and what your attorney advises you to divulge. Be careful about what you say to your team because your statements can be used against you in court, and your employees can get subpoenaed against their will.
Prepare for media inquiries
If you’re a well-known figure in your industry, you can expect to have your name and charges posted everywhere. For instance, it was all over the news when the CEO of Digital Health Company was arrested for Adderall distribution. Even if you’re just a small business owner, chances are, local media will want to get the scoop on your story. Even if you don’t think you’ll get bombarded by the media, prepare anyway.
Consult your legal team or attorney to craft appropriate responses to media inquiries before they happen. Know exactly what you’re going to say and stick to your script – at least the general points. Wherever you choose to speak, keep your messages consistent.
Don’t post anything on social media
Consider social media to be off-limits when you’re facing criminal drug charges. Posting anything at all – even a happy birthday message to a friend – can get you in serious trouble. It’s not worth the risk. You don’t know what information law enforcement might be seeking to use against you. Your downfall could be a small detail, like your location, connection to another person, or a timestamp on a post. Posting about your case on social media should be avoided.
There are countless cases that have been lost and criminals who have been convicted because of their social media posts. Some of those posts are bold, like a TikTok influencer who stole a bunch of goods from Target and was identified to police by someone who knew her personally. She was arrested for the theft because she posted her stolen Target hauls to TikTok, connecting her to the crime.
Rebuilding and recovery is possible
The steps you take in the beginning can significantly impact your business’ long-term viability. Although it won’t guarantee your business will survive, implementing protective measures and working with an attorney can minimize the negative impact facing drug charges may have on your business.