People v. Valencia

191 Cal. App. 3d 1483, 237 Cal. Rptr. 128, 1987 Cal. App. LEXIS 1740
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 20, 1987
DocketNo. A031208
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 191 Cal. App. 3d 1483 (People v. Valencia) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Valencia, 191 Cal. App. 3d 1483, 237 Cal. Rptr. 128, 1987 Cal. App. LEXIS 1740 (Cal. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinion

Opinion

MERRILL, J.

Appellant Antonio Valencia was convicted by a jury of one count of possessing heroin for sale (Health & Saf. Code, § 11351) and one count of selling or offering to sell heroin (Health & Saf. Code, § 11352). Additionally, appellant was found to have sold or offered to sell 14.25 or more grams of heroin in violation of Penal Code section 1203.07, subdivision (a)(2) and to have possessed for sale 14.25 grams or more of heroin within the meaning of Penal Code section 1203.07, subdivision (a)(1), making him ineligible for probation. Appellant appeals from the judgment of conviction.

I

In May 1984, Detective Michael Preston of the San Mateo Sheriff’s office met with a police informant (hereafter informant) at his office to discuss and plan a controlled buy of heroin from an alleged local drug dealer by the name of Ceja. Informant had obtained a lead on Ceja and his drug-related activities and passed that information along to Preston.

According to informant, Ceja had approached him at his car repair business in Redwood City and offered to sell him cocaine and heroin. Ceja told him that he had a friend who purchased these drugs in Mexico. Informant said he later visited Ceja at his apartment in Redwood City and told him that he had clients who wished to purchase these drugs. Ceja told informant at that time that his “new connection” could get him as much heroin as he [1486]*1486wanted. Informant told Preston that Ceja offered to sell him two or two and one-half ounces of heroin.

Preston and informant discusséd the plans for the controlled buy. Then putting the plans into action, Preston first searched informant, taking all property on his person and placing it in a bag. Preston next gave informant $18,000 with which to purchase the heroin. The money was in denominations of fifties assembled into bundles of $ 1,000 each. The $ 18,000 had been taken from a special fund in the sheriff’s office earmarked for such use. The money* was placed in a Folger’s coffee can, making it readily visible. All of the bills and their serial numbers had been photocopied. Preston told informant to hold on to the money until he obtained the Mexican heroin (called chiva). Informant was also told not to let the money leave his truck.

Detective Preston then affixed a small hidden radio transmitter to informant, which had a maximum range of transmission of one-quarter mile. Next, the two men went outside to where informant’s pickup truck was parked. Detective Preston searched the truck. Afterward, informant drove the pickup truck to Ceja’s address, followed by Preston and six other undercover police surveillance units. Preston was accompanied by Officer Schumaker who could speak and translate Spanish.

Informant parked in front of Ceja’s apartment building and made contact with Ceja through an outside intercom. He told the suspect that he had the money and asked if Ceja had the merchandise. Ceja indicated that he did have the merchandise. Ceja then joined informant in the truck and instructed him to drive to an East Palo Alto address. Police followed.

Informant drove to an apartment complex. As Ceja got out of the truck, informant showed him the coffee can full of money. Ceja went into the apartment building, returning to the truck about five minutes later. Upon his return, Ceja told informant that his connection had only two ounces of heroin to sell him at that time but would have an additional half ounce later that afternoon. He also indicated that the connection did not want to make the deal inside the vehicle. Informant told Ceja to teU the third party that he would go ahead and purchase the two ounces now but that he preferred to transact the business in his vehicle. Ceja went back inside the apartment building. Moments later Ceja returned to the truck accompanied by the third party, appellant. Appellant told informant that he would not make a deal in the street because “if the narcos go by they will take you to jail and they will take us to jail.” At this point, informant agreed to join Ceja and appellant in apartment No. 19. Informant advised Detective Preston over the hidden transmitter of the change in plans.

[1487]*1487Informant then got out of his truck and headed for the designated apartment. He found the door to the apartment ajar about a foot and entered. Inside, Ceja, appellant, and a man named Barron were waiting for him in the living room. The three escorted informant to a bedroom in the apartment. Appellant sat on the bed. Informant, holding the coffee can of money, also sat on the bed. Barron stood with his back to the door and Ceja stood on the other side of the room.

Informant began counting the money and appellant recounted it. Midway through this, informant asked to see the heroin. Appellant instructed Barron to show it to him. Barron produced some dark brown chiva wrapped in a paper towel. Barron put the heroin on the lid of the coffee can and put the lid on top of a small television set in the bedroom.

While all of this was taking place, Detective Preston could hear the men counting the money by means of the hidden transmitter. According to Preston’s later testimony, informant signaled the officers pursuant to a prearranged plan to close in. Preston testified: “[H]e had gotten very deliberate about counting the dinero----[H]e was signaling us to come in, and save him, come on in and arrest him as we had previously described.”

Members of the undercover unit arrived at apartment No. 19 simultaneously. The door to the apartment was still ajar. Officer Schumaker spoke with a woman who greeted the officers at the door. Schumaker explained to the woman that the officers were going to have to enter the apartment and seize the money and the chiva. The officers entered the living room and proceeded down a short hallway to a bedroom. Inside, they found informant, Ceja, Barron and appellant. Appellant was counting the money which was spread out on the bed. The Folger’s coffee can was sitting in the center of the bed. On top of a television set at the side of the bed officers saw some tissue and two “chunks” of a substance which appeared to be heroin.1 Preston photographed the money and the heroin and then sealed the heroin in plastic baggies. The amount of money seized corresponded with that which had been given to informant for the transaction.

Police then arrested appellant, Ceja and Barron. Informant was also taken into custody to prevent disclosure of his connection with the police. Appellant told the officers that he lived in apartment No. 68 in the same complex.

Subsequently, Detective Preston obtained a search warrant for appellant’s apartment. This warrant was executed about 8:30 p.m. the same day. Inside [1488]*1488apartment No. 68, police found a triple beam scale, 12 carbon steel blades, and a metal handle for the blades. Preston observed that there were 30 to 40 scars on the top of the scale. Preston later testified that these marks were consistent with the knives that were found. According to Preston, heroin from Mexico is a tarry solid which has to be cut. Preston was of the opinion that the subject items were possessed for the purpose of the sale and distribution of heroin and that the heroin found in apartment No. 19 was possessed for purpose of sale.

In addition to the above facts, the following evidence was adduced: A police tape of the drug transaction was introduced into evidence and played to the jury.

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Related

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80 Cal. Rptr. 2d 562 (California Court of Appeal, 1998)
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222 Cal. App. 3d 1306 (California Court of Appeal, 1990)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
191 Cal. App. 3d 1483, 237 Cal. Rptr. 128, 1987 Cal. App. LEXIS 1740, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-valencia-calctapp-1987.