Caught with Coke: How Much Money Will it Cost You?

Getting Caught with Even a Minuet Amount of Cocaine Can Be a Felony

In Ilinois, and in most every other jurisdiction, getting caught with even a minute amount of cocaine - even less than a .1 of a gram - is a felony. Even in the few jurisdictions where possession of a small amount of cocaine is only a serious misdemeanor, getting caught with it is shockingly expensive. Putting aside for a moment the usual possible jail penalties (in Illinois it's jail for up to 90 actual days or prison for up to an actual 365 days), lets just look at the financial cost of getting caught with .1 of a gram of cocaine. We will use Illinois where I was a former prosecutor as an example and we will assume that the person caught is a first offender placed on 18 months probation.

As a convicted felon, you will have to register with the State Police's DNA data base, cost ----$200.00
You will have to pay the court costs of your case, cost --- $670.00
You are on probation for 18 months. You have to pay a $25 per month probation fee, cost --- $450.00
You will pay a stautory Violent Crime Victims Assistance Fune fee, cost --- $35.00
You pay a Medical Fund fee, cost --- $15.00
Pay a Crimestoppers Fund fee, cost --- $35.00
Mandatory Drug Treatment Account Fund fee, cost --- $500.00
Lab testing fee(for your .1 gram of cocaine), cost --- $100.00
The drug's street value fine, minimum cost --- $20.00
Spinal Cord Research Fund fee, cost --- $5.00
Hospital Trauma Center fund, cost $100.00
Random drug testing by urinalysis during probation, cost --- $100.00
Drug abuse evaluation, cost --- $125.00
Drug abuse treatment, cost --- $1500.00
Sheriff's fee $16.00

By Illinois statute, you could also be fined up to an additional $25,000, and your car, if one was involved, could be subjected to forfeiture proceedings by the state.