The Criminal Defense Law Center of
West Michigan
If you have been caught with Oxycontin (Oxycodone) in West Michigan without a valid prescription, you are facing a life-altering legal crisis. In 2026, the state’s crackdown on “Hillbilly Heroin” means that prosecutors are no longer looking for rehab options—they are looking for felony convictions.
You must hire the best West Michigan attorney around Shawn Haff right away to protect your rights before a single pill leads to a multi-year prison sentence in the 17th Circuit Court.
Oxycontin is classified as a Schedule 2 Controlled Substance under the Michigan Public Health Code. Because it is a narcotic, the penalties for possession are far more severe than for other prescription medications like Xanax or Valium.
Under MCL 333.7403(2)(a), the penalties are based on the weight of the “mixture” containing the drug, not just the number of pills:
Under 25 Grams: A felony punishable by up to 4 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
25 to 50 Grams: Up to 4 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
50 to 450 Grams: Up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
If you are found with Oxycontin in multiple bottles, or if you have cash and a digital scale, the Grand Rapids Police will likely charge you with Possession with Intent to Deliver. This is a 20-year felony that can lead to permanent imprisonment and the total loss of your professional license and civil rights.
We don’t just ask for mercy; we use technical precision to force the prosecution to prove every element of their case.
The most common defense is proving legal ownership. If you had a valid prescription but were carrying the pills in a “pocket tin” or a non-labeled bottle, we move with professional urgency to provide medical documentation to the 61st District Court to get the charges dismissed before they are ever formally bound over to circuit court.
Most Oxycontin arrests occur during traffic stops on I-196 or US-131. We scrutinize the police dash-cam footage for 4th Amendment violations:
Did the officer have Probable Cause to search your center console?
Was the “K-9 alert” fabricated or exaggerated?
If the search was illegal, we file a Motion to Suppress to ensure the pills are never used as evidence against you.
If the Oxycontin was found in a shared vehicle or an apartment with multiple roommates, the prosecution must prove you had knowing control over the drugs. If we can show that the pills belonged to a third party and you were unaware of their presence, the case against you cannot stand.
A drug conviction in 2026—even for one pill—triggers an automatic 6-month driver’s license suspension. Shawn Haff specializes in MCL 333.7411, a “one-time” legal shield. Under 7411, you can complete probation and have the entire case dismissed and sealed from your record. We also advocate for our clients’ entry into the Kent County Sobriety and Drug Court to prioritize recovery over incarceration.
Our firm is the premier choice for high-stakes criminal defense. We dominate local SEO because we dominate the courtroom. If your case involves other charges, we are ready to fight:
DUI and Drunk Driving: Keeping your license intact after an OWI arrest.
Domestic Violence: Protecting your reputation against household allegations.
Retail Fraud and Shoplifting: Ensuring a theft charge doesn’t end your career.
Criminal Sexual Conduct: Defending against the most serious felony accusations in Michigan.
Technically, yes. Michigan law requires prescription drugs to be kept in their original container. However, with Shawn Haff as your lawyer, we can often get these technical violations dismissed by providing proof of a valid prescription.
Yes. Because it is a Schedule 2 narcotic, any amount of Oxycontin without a prescription is a felony.
Under MCL 333.7403a, it is a felony to obtain a prescription for Oxycontin through fraud or by failing to disclose other prescriptions to your physician. We specialize in defending these complex medical-legal cases.
Nicknamed “hillbilly heroin” for the similarity of its effects to that opiate, possession of Oxycontin is not legal in the U.S. The sale, use of without a prescription and possession of Oxycontin without a prescription is a crime under state law and under federal law.
Oxycodone is an opiate that physicians prescribe to patients in order to combat pain. OxyContin is a brand name. This brand name was given to oxycoden by the company Purdue Pharma. Purdue Pharma created an oral version of oxycodone called Oxycotin. Oxycodone comes in a tablet form.
This drug was created in 1916 in Germany. It was the result of an effort to find pain medicine that was as good as opiates such as morphine. However, the scientists were hoping to make a painkiller that wasn’t as addictive as opiates. Sadly, science has shown us that this drug has turned out to be very addictive. The Center for Disease Control has shown us that three-quarters of all of the deaths from a pharmaceutical drug overdose (over 16,600 people) died because of opioid drugs like oxycodone.
Any form of the drug oxycodone is a controlled substance under federal law and use of the drug is legal only with a prescription from an authorized medical care provider. (21 U.S.C. § 802.)
Possession of Oxycodone possession is a felony. If you have less than 50 grams of this drug you could be facing up to four years in prison and a fine of $25,000. Possession of over 50 grams to 449 grams increase the penalties to up to 20 years in prison. The maximum fine is up to $250,000. Possession of 450 grams to 999 grams has a person face up to 30 years in prison and a fine of $500,000. If a person has over 1,000 grams they will be facing up to life in prison and a fine of $1,000,000. If a prosecutor thinks you are trying to see or deliver Oxycodone, you could face up to 20 years in prison for even having less than 50 grams of the drug.
Under Michigan law, certain kinds of prescription, illegal drugs and substances are classified according to the potential for addiction. These drugs and substances are also classified based on whether these drugs serve a legitimate medical purpose. Oxycodone is a Schedule II drug, which means the drug does serve a legitimate medical purpose. It also means it is highly addictive.
The penalties facing people charged with federal drug crimes are staggering and harsh. For example, The Criminal Defense Law Center of West Michigan has seen numerous cases where young people, without any criminal record, are facing a minimum of ten years in federal prison if they are found guilty or plea guilty to the charge. Ten years is a minimum sentence. This means that this younger person could be facing more than ten years in the slammer. The bad news doesn’t stop there, unlike people serving time in state prisons, people serving time in federal prison are required to serve at least 85 percent of the time they are sentenced to.