Q: How long for charges after a house raid with weapons and narcotics found?

A: Tons of different factors to consider such as how big the investigation is and how many different people are being investigated, which police ageny is handling the investigation, etc. The simple answer/guess is you can expect to be charged somewhere between 6 and 12 months. The statute of limitations is 7 years for those feloniess so they could wait for 7 years if they wanted to. The other issue is that they likely will get a grandy jury indictment which is a secret process and then they will issue a warrant for your arrest and not tell you. This could happen even before 6 months. The trick to this is to call the warrant hotline 602-223-2233 at least once a month to check if there is a warrant. Give name and birthday and they will tell you if there is a warrant or not. You have to make the call as a law firm cannot call on your behalf.

The alternative is the court could send you a summons in the mail to the address that MVD has and not go the grand jury route. The prosecutor gets to chose which path they take but something for you to be aware of.

Now, the real thing you need to do is hire a law firm that actually handles "prefile" cases. Good law firms that handle these cases will pay for and get the police reports ahead of time while your case is pending. This will give more insight as to whether you will be charged or not and what type of crimes. Next the firm will do an online public records check each WEEK (some firms only check 1x per month or once every 3 months, which is what you want to avoid) and TEXT you each week if they found anything. Next you should ask the law firm how they check. The answer will need to be the public access page, MCSC page, each city court where the crime happened, all justice courts, MCSO warrant website (even though it is always broken). If they just say they will "check" but don't tell you where they check then they are probably lying to you and don't actually check. Which then means that you could have a warrant for months or years without you knowing and then all the sudden you get arrested at work or your family BBQ and then they try and add any extra charges against you at that point too because you already look like a criminal with a warrant.

If I were you, this is what I would do and what you can expect at this early stage.

A: When a raid results in the discovery of weapons and narcotics, it can take days, weeks, or even several months before charges are formally filed. Prosecutors often wait for lab results, full police reports, and background investigations before making a charging decision. If you weren’t present during the raid, they may also need more time to determine who had control or knowledge of the items found, especially if multiple people had access to the property.

Even without immediate charges, your name may still be part of an active investigation. The delay doesn’t mean they’ve forgotten—it means they may still be building their case. Since you already have legal counsel, continue checking in with your attorney for updates and ensure your contact information is current in case law enforcement or the court issues a summons. Avoid posting or speaking about the case publicly, and be cautious about who you talk to.

You’re right to be anxious, but silence doesn’t always mean safety or guilt—it often just means the process is still unfolding. Stay alert, stay prepared, and keep following your lawyer’s guidance. The waiting is difficult, but staying calm and informed gives you the strongest position if charges do come.