United States v. Carla Jabara, John T. McClain Earl Moore, Ella Hood, Evelyn Hatch, Curtistine Rideout

618 F.2d 1319
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedJune 5, 1980
Docket79-1095, 79-1118, 79-1225, 79-1272, 79-1304 and 79-1355
StatusPublished
Cited by58 cases

This text of 618 F.2d 1319 (United States v. Carla Jabara, John T. McClain Earl Moore, Ella Hood, Evelyn Hatch, Curtistine Rideout) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth 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. Carla Jabara, John T. McClain Earl Moore, Ella Hood, Evelyn Hatch, Curtistine Rideout, 618 F.2d 1319 (9th Cir. 1980).

Opinion

HUG, Circuit Judge:

This is a consolidated appeal from convictions on a ten-count indictment for narcotic offenses. All appellants were found guilty by the jury of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute, and to sell and distribute, heroin, cocaine, methaqualone and marijuana, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846. The trial judge entered judgment on that count against all appellants, except Moore. As to Moore, the trial judge granted a motion for acquittal on the conspiracy count. All appellants except Hatch were convicted of various substantive counts for possession with intent to distribute and distribution of various narcotics.

FACTS

This case involves an extensive drug conspiracy, which operated from May 1974 until March 1978, centering in Southern California and extending to other states. Arrests followed an eleven-month investigation by agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Wiretaps, purchases of drugs by undercover agents, and physical and video surveillance were the primary tools of investigation.

The Government characterized appellant John McClain as the primary source of the drugs; he was, however, well insulated from direct contact with purchasers. Appellant Carla Jabara acted as McClain’s assistant; appellants Curtistine Rideout, Evelyn Hatch and Ella Hood were the “runners.” They made the actual pickup of drugs and sales to purchasers. Appellant Earl Moore was described as a secondary distributor of drugs and was involved in transactions only when McClain was unavailable.

The DEA began its investigation in April 1977; DEA special agents, John Jackson and John Peoples, negotiated with Hood and Rideout for the purchase of heroin. Sales of heroin took place on April 25, 1977 and September 16, 1977. In both transactions, undercover agents gave money to Hood to purchase heroin. Hood gave the money to Rideout, who proceeded to a house in Beverly Hills. McClain was observed at this house. Rideout returned with heroin and consummated the sale. One other attempted purchase in September 1977 failed when no narcotics were available.

Starting on August 31, 1977 DEA agents intercepted and recorded telephone conversations on Rideout’s telephone pursuant to a court-authorized wiretap. The wiretap continued for fifty days. In October a thirty-day wiretap was placed on another of Ride-out’s phones. In addition to the wiretaps, DEA agents also conducted videotape surveillance on Rideout’s residence.

Evidence was introduced at trial that on September 21, 1977 Rideout made a telephone call to Alaska. The following day Wanda Mullins traveled from Alaska to Rideout’s apartment. Surveillance agents observed Rideout leave her apartment, meet with Moore, and return home. After Rideout returned, Mullins boarded a plane for Alaska. When she arrived in Anchorage she was arrested, and a quantity of cocaine was seized from her.

From November 1977 until March 1978 DEÁ agents conducted no undercover activity in the ease, nor did they contact any of the defendants. The Government contended, however, that during this time it was analyzing approximately three thousand intercepted calls from the wiretaps on Ride-out’s phones.

In March 1978 DEA agents decided to reestablish contact with Rideout for the purpose of making another drug purchase. The DEA had determined, through the analysis of intercepted phone calls, that Rideout might cooperate and aid in the investigation if she were arrested. It was decided that if she sold a significant quantity of narcotics to an agent, she would be arrested. Based on this decision, agent Jackson began negotiating with her for the sale of heroin.

*1323 On March 20, 1978, as Jackson continued to work out a “deal” with Rideout, other DEA agents conducted surveillance on Jabara’s apartment. One agent met with the building manager and arranged to be admitted into an apartment adjacent to Jabara’s apartment. The agent told the manager that an arrest might be made that night.' Later, however, the agent returned the key and stated that no arrest would be made that day.

On March 21 Rideout was arrested shortly after she sold heroin to DEA agent Jackson. Rideout had obtained the drug from Moore, who was arrested the same day. Moore had in his possession some of the recorded funds that Jackson had paid to Rideout. Moore was advised of his rights, and signed a consent to search form. A search of his apartment turned up heroin, cocaine and lactose.

Rideout was not cooperative, as the agents had hoped, and she made attempts to notify other defendants of her arrest. The DEA contacted a magistrate concerning arrest warrants for the other defendants but realized that it would require considerable time to prepare supporting affidavits, and that the other defendants might be warned in the meantime. Accordingly, an Assistant United States Attorney in charge of the investigation authorized that arrests be made without warrants.

At approximately 9:35 p. m. on March 21, agents knocked on Jabara’s apartment and announced their presence. Upon being admitted to the apartment with guns drawn, the agents immediately arrested Jabara and McClain. Agents seized a number of items from the apartment, including nearly $55,-000 in cash. A quantity of cocaine was discovered located in a driveway outside the apartment, four stories beneath the apartment’s kitchen window. Hood was arrested later that night.. No arrest warrants were obtained for the arrest of any defendant.

Two days after the arrests, DEA agents obtained a search warrant for Jabara’s other apartment. Cocaine, mannite, a scale and a heat sealer were seized in the search. Those items were introduced at the trial against all the defendants.

ARGUMENTS

The appellants raise thirteen principal assignments of error. We will relate additional pertinent facts in the discussion of each issue.

1. Jabara and Moore argue that their arrests were not based on probable cause. Carla Jabara argues that there was insufficient evidence available to the arresting officer to establish probable cause. Jabara asserts three principal contentions as to why the evidence relied on by the Government did not establish probable cause for her arrest. First, she argues that the reliability of certain government informants was not demonstrated. Second, she argues that the information was stale, because the information allegedly concerned her conduct in 1975 and the arrest took place in 1978. Third, she notes that her voice was never intercepted in the wiretaps. All of Jabara’s contentions are without merit. The reliability of the government informants was established by their declarations against penal interest. The information provided by Antoinette Griffin and Jeannine Collins implicated them in the crime of violating federal narcotics laws. It is well-settled in this circuit that a declaration against penal interest meets the reliability test of Aguilar v. Texas, 378 U.S. 108, 84 S.Ct. 1509, 12 L.Ed.2d 723 (1964) and Spinelli v. United States, 393 U.S. 410, 89 S.Ct.

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Bluebook (online)
618 F.2d 1319, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-carla-jabara-john-t-mcclain-earl-moore-ella-hood-ca9-1980.