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Drug charges in Tampa range from misdemeanor marijuana possession to first-degree felony trafficking with mandatory prison terms. The difference often turns on weight, the type of substance, how police found it, and whether a firearm was nearby. Many cases begin with traffic stops on Interstate 275, Interstate 4, or the Selmon Expressway, or with searches in Ybor City and along Nebraska Avenue. The Tampa attorneys below defend possession, sale and delivery, and trafficking charges in state and federal court.

1. Amarosa Law Firm, P.A.

• Attorney: James R. Amarosa II, Esq., Founder
• Address: 3825 Henderson Blvd, Suite 207, Tampa, FL 33629
• Phone: (813) 251-0700
• Website: amarosalaw.com
• Practice Focus: Drug possession, drug trafficking, firearm offenses, DUI, violent crimes
• Experience: Admitted to The Florida Bar in 2007; U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida; former Certified Legal Intern, Hillsborough County Public Defender's Office; taught crime scene investigation and trace evidence recovery
• Recognition: Barry Cohen Award for Excellence in Criminal Defense, HCACDL (2024)
• Google Rating: 4.6 ★ (56 reviews)
• Google Business Profile: View on Google Maps
• Social Profiles: Facebook | X | LinkedIn

About: Amarosa Law Firm, P.A. defends clients through its Tampa drug crimes practice, challenging illegal searches, lack of knowledge, and lab and chain of custody problems. James R. Amarosa II has taught forensic investigation and trace evidence recovery, a useful background when testing results drive the case. When the weight pushes a case into drug trafficking territory or a firearm is involved, the firm also handles those charges.

2. The Hardy Law Firm, P.A.

• Attorney: David C. Hardy
• Founded: 2010
• Address: 1710 N 19th St, Suite 215, Tampa, FL 33605
• Phone: (813) 734-7190
• Website: thehardylawfirm.com
• Practice Focus: Drug possession, sale or delivery, trafficking, federal drug crimes
• Experience: Florida Bar Board Certified in Criminal Trial Law (2010); NBTA certified (2014); prosecuted drug possession and trafficking cases for more than five years as a Tampa state prosecutor; fluent in Spanish

About: David Hardy keeps separate pages for possession, sale or delivery, and trafficking, and he defends federal drug cases in addition to state charges.

3. The Matassini Law Firm, P.A.

• Attorneys: Nicholas G. Matassini, Christina Matassini
• Founded: 1976
• Address: 2811 W Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL 33609
• Phone: (813) 680-3004
• Website: matassinilaw.com
• Practice Focus: Drug crimes, federal crimes, asset forfeiture
• Experience: Nicholas Matassini is Board Certified in Criminal Trial Law; both partners are former Thirteenth Circuit prosecutors; firm reports an Eleventh Circuit win in a federal maritime drug case

About: Matassini Law combines a long Tampa track record with appellate work, including wiretap disclosure rulings in narcotics cases, and handles asset forfeiture tied to drug arrests.

4. Brancato Law Firm, P.A.

• Attorneys: Rocky Brancato, Jean-Luc Adrien
• Address: 620 E Twiggs St, Suite 205, Tampa, FL 33602
• Phone: (813) 727-7159
• Website: brancatolawfirm.com
• Practice Focus: Drug crimes, homicide, gun crimes, violent crimes, forensic science issues
• Experience: 25+ years; former Chief Operations Officer, Hillsborough County Public Defender's Office; 150+ jury trials; firm reports a not guilty verdict in a cocaine trafficking case

About: Brancato Law Firm emphasizes pre-file advocacy, contacting the State Attorney's Office before charges are filed. Jean-Luc Adrien speaks English, Haitian Creole, French, and Spanish.

5. O'Brien Hatfield

• Attorneys: Mark J. O'Brien, Victoria E. Hatfield, Sheryl C. Johansen, and others
• Address: 511 W Bay St, Suite 330, Tampa, FL 33606
• Phone: (813) 440-2347
• Website: markjobrien.com
• Practice Focus: State and federal drug charges, federal crimes, appeals
• Experience: Mark O'Brien is a former Miami prosecutor; team includes a former DEA special agent and a former Tampa Police detective; Spanish spoken

About: O'Brien Hatfield handles drug cases in both Florida and federal courts, with investigators drawn from federal and local law enforcement.

6. Hersem Law

• Attorney: Christopher Hersem
• Address: 1550 W Cleveland St, Suite 9, Tampa, FL 33606
• Phone: (813) 251-7291
• Website: hersemlaw.com
• Practice Focus: Drug crimes, marijuana charges, DUI, expungement
• Experience: Former Assistant Public Defender, Sixth Judicial Circuit; 10.0 Avvo rating

About: Hersem Law keeps dedicated drug and marijuana pages and helps eligible clients seal or expunge records once a case ends.

7. Brett Metcalf, Criminal Defense Attorneys, P.A.

• Attorney: Brett Metcalf
• Address: 2011 W Cleveland St, Suite A-1, Tampa, FL 33606
• Phone: (813) 820-6706
• Website: hillsboroughdefense.com
• Practice Focus: Drug possession, sale and delivery, manufacturing, trafficking
• Experience: Former state prosecutor; firm reports a fentanyl trafficking case dismissed after evidence was suppressed

About: Brett Metcalf's firm challenges the stop, the search, and the State's lab evidence and explores pretrial diversion where a client qualifies.

8. Sammis Law Firm

• Attorneys: Jason D. Sammis, Leslie M. Sammis, Joshua Monteiro, and three associates
• Address: 1005 N Marion St, Tampa, FL 33602
• Phone: (813) 250-0500
• Website: criminaldefenseattorneytampa.com
• Practice Focus: Possession, delivery, and trafficking of controlled substances, asset forfeiture
• Experience: Six attorneys; members of NACDL, FACDL, and HCACDL

About: Sammis Law Firm files motions to suppress and handles civil asset forfeiture of cash and vehicles seized in drug investigations.

9. Daniel J. Fernandez, P.A.

• Attorney: Daniel J. Fernandez and team
• Address: 625 E Twiggs St, Suite 102, Tampa, FL 33602
• Phone: (813) 229-5353
• Website: djfernandezlaw.com
• Practice Focus: Drug possession, sale, manufacturing, trafficking, prescription drug fraud
• Experience: 43 years in practice; former prosecutor; more than 500 trials; Spanish spoken

About: The Fernandez team handles drug cases from the highway corridors around Tampa and challenges search and seizure issues in neighborhood narcotics investigations.

10. Elsea Law Firm, P.A.

• Attorneys: Joel Elsea, Mackenzie Scheer
• Address: 806 E Jackson St, Suite 3, Tampa, FL 33602
• Phone: (813) 451-8583
• Website: elsealawfirm.com
• Practice Focus: Drug charges, cocaine charges, possession with intent to sell, trafficking
• Experience: Joel Elsea served as a felony prosecutor for more than a decade

About: Elsea Law Firm keeps pages for cocaine, intent to sell, and trafficking charges and brings a prosecutor's view of how drug cases are built.

About This List

Amarosa Law Firm, P.A. sponsors this article and appears first. The other nine firms were selected because their websites show drug crime defense and each has a Tampa office with a public Google Business Profile. Ratings were recorded on October 19, 2026. This list is not a ranking. Verify credentials through The Florida Bar.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does a drug possession charge become trafficking in Florida?

Trafficking under Statute 893.135 is based on weight. For example, 28 grams of cocaine, 4 grams of fentanyl, 14 grams of methamphetamine, or more than 25 pounds of cannabis can support a first-degree felony trafficking charge.

Does the weight of a mixture count, or only the pure drug?

The statute counts the total weight of the mixture, including any other substance mixed in, and adds together mixtures that contain the same drug.

What if police find a gun with the drugs?

Under Statute 775.087, actually possessing a firearm during a trafficking offense can trigger a 10-year mandatory minimum, and discharging it can trigger 20 years.

Can a trafficking sentence ever be reduced?

The State Attorney may ask the court to reduce or suspend a trafficking sentence if the defendant provides substantial assistance in identifying or convicting others, under Statute 893.135(4).

Can a drug charge be handled before it is filed?

Often, yes. After an arrest, the State Attorney's Office decides what to file. A defense attorney can present evidence and legal problems with the case during that window.