United States v. Aguiar

610 F.2d 1296
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
DecidedFebruary 4, 1980
DocketNos. 78-5748, 79-1419 and 79-2084
StatusPublished
Cited by43 cases

This text of 610 F.2d 1296 (United States v. Aguiar) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Aguiar, 610 F.2d 1296 (5th Cir. 1980).

Opinion

VANCE, Circuit Judge:

These appeals arise out of a federal prosecution of Jorge Palenzuela, Virgen Palen-zuela, Luis Aguiar, Julio Morejon-Pacheco and others 1 for offenses relating to their alleged involvement in the illegal trafficking of cocaine. After a jury trial in federal district court, Aguiar, Morejon and Jorge Palenzuela were convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, 21 U.S.C. § 846. Aguiar and Morejon were also convicted for distributing cocaine, id. § 841(a)(1) and 18 U.S.C. § 2. Morejon additionally was convicted of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1),2 and of the knowing use of a communications facility in the commission of a narcotic-related felony, id. § 843(b). The case of Virgen Palenzuela, charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and with possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, id. §§ 841(a)(1), 846, was severed from that of her co-defendants. Her appeal is from the denial of her motion for dismissal on double jeopardy grounds. [1299]*1299For reasons stated below, the challenges to the trial judge’s rulings are for the most part without merit. We reverse, however, the district court’s decision denying Jorge Palenzuela’s motion for acquittal based on the insufficiency of the evidence to sustain his conspiracy conviction.

I. Facts

In early April 1977, Agent Norman Jez-zeny of the Nevada district of the Drug Enforcement Administration and Agent Jorge Fonte of the State of Nevada Division of Investigation of Narcotics began an investigation into drug trafficking in Las Vegas, Nevada. Acting in their undercover capacity, they contacted Jose Aleman in Las Vegas, introducing themselves as “men in the drug business,” and subsequently expressed their interest in a drug deal. Ale-man mentioned that he knew a man in Key West, Florida, that might be able to help them, and that he might arrange a meeting with this man.

Fonte and Jezzeny flew to Florida on April 26, 1977, to meet Luis Aguiar, the person introduced by Aleman. They met the next day in Key West. Because Jez-zeny does not speak Spanish, Fonte translated the conversation, as he continued to do on subsequent occasions. The agents asked Aguiar about the availability of a regular supply of significant quantities of cocaine. Aguiar had none, but promised to look into some contacts for the agents. Nothing else came of this meeting, and the agents returned to Las Vegas.

They returned to Miami in June and July to meet with Aguiar. The three agreed that, if an initial transaction for cocaine culminated successfully, the agents would begin purchasing a regular monthly supply of cocaine. Apparently realizing that alone he could not provide the- agents the amounts of cocaine sought, Aguiar began seeking alternative sources of the illicit drug.3 At their July 15 meeting, therefore, Aguiar introduced the agents to Rene Beni-tez, and Aguiar told Benitez of his difficulties in procuring cocaine for the agents and asked Benitez for assistance. Benitez, in turn, brought the agents and Aguiar to Julio Morejon-Pacheco. Morejon showed Fonte and Jezzeny samples of various lots of cocaine and attempted to secure the ten kilograms of cocaine they sought. The agents, Morejon and Benitez held further discussions in subsequent days to settle the price ($380,000) and mode of exchange.

Morejon, with Benitez and the agents present, made several telephone calls on July 17, 1977, to set up the cocaine transaction. In two of these calls, Morejon spoke with individuals whom he addressed as “Mami” and “Pepi.”4 After these calls, they discussed a $25,000 deposit to hold the ten kilograms of cocaine until the next day. Saying that Aguiar wanted this transaction to go through, Benitez offered to guarantee the $25,000 deposit.

After a number of changes in the plans for the transaction, Benitez and Morejon told Jezzeny on the day of the transaction, July 18, that they had two safe houses. Morejon and Jezzeny would go to one house to view and inspect the cocaine, while Beni-tez and Fonte proceeded to the second safe house, where another man would help count the purchase money brought by Fonte. When all parties were satisfied, Fonte was to leave the money at the counting house, and Jezzeny would take the cocaine with him from the other safe house.

Jezzeny went with Morejon to the home of Jorge and Virgen Palenzuela (husband and wife). Jorge was not at home.5 Vir-gen took the men to the bedroom, where she produced and displayed five and one-[1300]*1300half (of the ten) kilograms of cocaine to Jezzeny. He weighed the cocaine on a triple-beam' scale that was on Mrs. Palenzue-la’s dresser and performed several field tests. She then offered to give Jezzeny an extra pound of cocaine, which she obtained from a drawer in her bathroom, if he was dissatisfied with the quality of the ten kilograms.6 The three then waited for the call from the second safe house. On the way to the “counting” house, the location of which was unknown to Fonte, Fonte mistakenly arrested Benitez, searched him and removed a piece of paper with an address written on it. ' Fonte proceeded to the address and knocked on the door. Mrs. Ortega, who is Mrs. Palenzuela’s mother and the house’s owner, opened the door.

A few moments earlier, Jorge Palenzuela had called Morejon. They spoke in Spanish, and Morejon then reported to the others that they were “not there yet” (referring to Benitez and Fonte). The telephone conversation between Morejon and Jorge resumed until Jorge said “They’re here,” handed the telephone to Fonte and left the room. Fonte then told Morejon that the deal was off and to meet him with Jezzeny at a certain location.7 Morejon told the others that something was wrong.

On hearing this news, Mrs. Palenzuela picked up the box containing the five and one-half kilograms of cocaine, and told Jez-zeny that “I’m going to give it back to the people who own it. They have to take it someplace where it’s safe.” She took the box to the front of the house and gave it to Mrs. Torres, who left the house. The bonus pound remained in the house.

Shortly thereafter, Jezzeny and Morejon arrived at the designated location and met Fonte. Morejon was then arrested. Jez-zeny, Fonte, other DEA agents and several uniformed police officers in six or seven police cars proceeded to the Palenzuela home. When they arrived, approximately twenty-five minutes after Jezzeny and Mo-rejon had left, the police and agents found the Palenzuelas outside. Mr. Palenzuela was playing with the children, and Mrs. Palenzuela was talking with neighbors and Luis Triana. They immediately arrested Mr. and Mrs. Palenzuela and Mr. Triana. None of the defendants or neighbors offered any resistance nor were any of them armed. The agents next, without consent, entered the house and conducted a search of the premises that lasted about twenty minutes. The agents took the defendants through each room as they searched it. They found the pound of cocaine and $26,-000 in the bathroom adjoining the bedroom. The arrests and search were both warrant-less.

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Bluebook (online)
610 F.2d 1296, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-aguiar-ca5-1980.