Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-05-04453/USCOURTS-ca8-05-04453-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Basilio Garcia
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

1

The Honorable David S. Doty, United States District Judge for the District of

Minnesota.

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 05-4453

___________

United States of America, *

*

Appellee, *

* Appeal from the United States

v. * District Court for the

* District of Minnesota.

Basilio Garcia, also known as “Gordo,” *

also known as Ruben Torres-Leon, * [UNPUBLISHED]

also known as Alberto Garcia Rios, *

also known as Basilio Garcia-Santana, *

*

Appellant. *

___________

Submitted: January 30, 2007

Filed: February 2, 2007

___________

Before SMITH, GRUENDER, AND SHEPHERD, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

Basilio Garcia appeals the 120-month sentence that the district court1

 imposed

after he pleaded guilty to possessing with intent distribute over 50 grams of pure

methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(A). Invoking

Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967), his counsel has moved to withdraw, filing

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a brief in which he argues that the court erred in determining it lacked the discretion

to sentence Garcia below the 10-year statutory mandatory minimum, and that the

sentence was cruel and unusual punishment. In a pro se supplemental brief, Garcia

contends his counsel was ineffective for failing to seek a lower sentence under 21

U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(B)(viii) (5-year minimum for offense involving “50 grams or more

of a mixture or substance containing a detectible amount of methamphetamine”). The

government has moved to dismiss the appeal or for summary disposition.

We conclude that the district court correctly determined that it had no authority

to sentence Garcia below the 10-year statutory mandatory minimum. See United

States v. Chacon, 330 F.3d 1065, 1066 (8th Cir. 2003) (only authority for district court

to depart from statutory minimum sentence is found in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(e) and (f),

which apply only when government makes substantial-assistance motion or defendant

qualifies for safety-valve relief); U.S.S.G. § 5C1.2(a)(1) (defendant cannot have more

than 1 criminal history point to be eligible for safety-valve relief).

We further conclude that the Eighth Amendment argument is without merit.

See United States v. Collins, 340 F.3d 672, 679 (8th Cir. 2003) (Eighth Amendment

forbids only extreme sentences that are grossly disproportionate to crime; mandatory

minimum penalties for drug offenses do not violate Eighth Amendment); United

States v. Mendoza, 876 F.2d 639, 641 (8th Cir. 1989) (mandatory minimum

sentencing does not violate right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment). 

Finally, as to Garcia’s pro se argument that counsel was ineffective, we find no

reason to depart from the usual rule of requiring ineffective-assistance claims to be

raised in a 28 U.S.C. § 2255 motion. See United States v. Ramirez-Hernandez, 449

F.3d 824, 827 (8th Cir. 2006) (this court “will consider ineffective-assistance claims

on direct appeal only where the record has been fully developed, where not to act

would amount to a plain miscarriage of justice, or where counsel’s error is readily

apparent”). In any event, Garcia’s argument is without merit because he specifically

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admitted possessing with intent to distribute 81 grams of pure methamphetamine, and

he pled guilty to possessing with intent to distribute over 50 grams of pure

methamphetamine, which was the basis for the court’s imposition of the 10-year

mandatory minimum. See 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(A)(viii). 

Accordingly, we affirm the judgment, grant counsel’s motion to withdraw, and

dismiss the government’s motion as moot. 

______________________________

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