United States v. Dwyer

16 F. App'x 362
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
DecidedJuly 16, 2001
DocketNo. 99-2483
StatusPublished

This text of 16 F. App'x 362 (United States v. Dwyer) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Sixth 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. Dwyer, 16 F. App'x 362 (6th Cir. 2001).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

Defendant, Orville A. Dwyer, appeals from his judgment of conviction and sentence for possession with intent to distribute approximately 10 pounds of hashish oil. First, defendant argues (1) that statements he made should have been suppressed or the indictment dismissed because the statements were obtained in violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations; and (2) that the district court abused its discretion by refusing to allow him to renew his motion to suppress or raise a new argument challenging the legality of his arrest. Second, defendant argues that the refusal to instruct the jury concerning drug quantity requires a new trial, or at least resentencing, under Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, 120 S.Ct. 2348, 147 L.Ed.2d 435 (2000). Finally, defendant challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to support his conviction. After a review of the record and arguments presented on appeal, we affirm.

I.

Based on information about defendant’s activities and his prior drug arrests, a task force began 24-hour surveillance of defendant on August 2, 1995. Defendant, a Jamaican citizen, traveled from New York to Detroit and was staying in room 257 of the Red Roof Inn in Taylor, Michigan. When defendant left the motel, officers followed him and observed him driving in a manner that suggested he was attempting to detect surveillance. The officers stopped him for failing to signal for a turn. A drug dog alerted on the car, but no drugs were found. Defendant was let go without a citation, and the officers continued their surveillance.

The next afternoon, officers observed codefendant Audley Jones arrive at the Red Roof Inn in a car with Ontario license plates. Defendant met Jones outside the room and they spoke briefly before going into defendant’s room. After about five minutes, Jones came out, walked to his car, took a grey sports coat from the car, and returned to the room. Ten or 15 minutes later, Jones came out of defendant’s room carrying a black duffle bag covered by the sports coat. Jones placed the bag in his car and drove away.

State police, who were dispatched to stop Jones, stopped him for speeding shortly after he left the motel. During the stop, Jones consented to a search of the car. The sports coat in the passenger seat covered an unzipped duffle bag containing plastic baggies filled with a brown oily substance, which the trooper believed to be black tar heroin. Jones was arrested, advised of his Miranda rights, and placed in a patrol car. Jones allegedly told the officers that he had picked up the duffle bag from one individual and was to deliver it to someone else.

Jones was transported to the Taylor Police Department and was again advised of his rights. Jones said he wanted to cooperate and did not want to go to jail for “somebody else’s stuff.” When FBI Special Agent Grills asked Jones to sign an advice of rights form, Jones asked to have an attorney present. Nonetheless, when presented with a Red Roof Inn matchbook with the number “257” written on it, Jones volunteered that he no longer needed to tell police where he got the duffle bag. A criminal complaint was sworn charging defendant and Jones with possession with intent to distribute heroin.

Warrants for defendant’s arrest and to search the motel room were executed that evening. Defendant was arrested and advised of his Miranda rights. Defendant then told Grills that he was going to Canada for a festival, but before he left New York a person he knew as “14” asked him to take a black bag with him 'to Canada. [365]*365Defendant told “14” that he would only-take the bag as far as Detroit, where someone else could pick it up. Defendant said he intended to be paid for transporting the bag. When Jones came to the motel, defendant gave him the bag. Although defendant denied knowing what was in the bag, he said if he had to guess he would say the substance in the bag was hashish oil.

Based on his “guess” and a subsequent field test of the substance, the government amended the criminal complaint to designate hashish oil instead of heroin as the controlled substance involved. On August 17, 1995, defendant and Jones were indicted for aiding and abetting each other in the possession with intent to distribute approximately 10 pounds of hashish oil. Defendants moved to suppress statements and evidence on a number of grounds. On February 29, 1996, after an evidentiary hearing and supplemental briefing, the district court issued a written opinion granting in part and denying in part the motions to suppress.

In December 1996, the government filed an Information giving notice pursuant to 21 U.S.C. § 851 of its intention to seek increased penalties as a result of defendant’s prior felony drug conviction. The case was then reassigned to another district judge, who set the matter for trial. Defendant failed to appear for trial, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. The trial proceeded as to Jones, who was acquitted.

Defendant was returned to Michigan in July 1998.1 On September 8, 1998, a First Superseding Indictment was returned charging defendant with possession with intent to distribute approximately 10 pounds of hashish oil. Defendant, through new counsel, filed renewed motions to suppress statements and evidence and brought a new challenge to the legality of his arrest. Although the district judge did not hear the initial motions, he relied on the opinion of the judge who did and refused to reopen the matter.

Defendant then filed another motion to suppress evidence or dismiss the indictment due to the government’s failure to advise defendant of his right to contact the Jamaican consulate. The district court denied that motion in an order entered on June 30, 1999. Defendant proceeded to trial and was convicted. The district court sentenced defendant to 80 months’ imprisonment. This timely appeal followed.

II.

A. Denial of Defendant’s Motions to Suppress

On appeal from the denial of a motion to suppress, we review the district court’s findings of fact for clear error and its conclusions of law de novo. United States v. Jenkins, 124 F.3d 768, 771-72 (6th Cir.1997). Defendant argues that the district court erred by denying his motion to suppress evidence as a result of the failure to advise him of his right to contact the Jamaican consulate in violation of Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Defendant concedes, however, that this argument is foreclosed by our decision in United States v. Page, 232 F.3d 536, 540-41 (6th Cir.2000), cert. denied, — U.S. -, 121 S.Ct. 2202, - L.Ed.2d- (2001) (no right to exclude evidence or dismiss indictment for violation of Article 36 of the Vienna Convention).

Next, defendant argues that the trial judge erred by refusing to consider either his renewed motions to suppress or his [366]*366new argument challenging the legality of his arrest. The district court rejected defendant’s claim that our decision in United States v. Ovalle,

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16 F. App'x 362, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-dwyer-ca6-2001.