Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca5-03-20664/USCOURTS-ca5-03-20664-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Marino Luis Gonzalez
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

* Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined

that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent

except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR.

R. 47.5.4.

United States Court of Appeals

Fifth Circuit

F I L E D

February 18, 2004

Charles R. Fulbruge III

Clerk

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

 

No. 03-20664

Conference Calendar

 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

versus

MARINO LUIS GONZALEZ,

Defendant-Appellant.

--------------------

Appeal from the United States District Court

for the Southern District of Texas

USDC No. H-02-CR-664-1

--------------------

Before HIGGINBOTHAM, EMILIO M. GARZA, and PRADO, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM:*

Marino Luis Gonzalez appeals his guilty-plea conviction for

possession with intent to distribute and importation of cocaine. 

He argues that 21 U.S.C. §§ 841, 952, and 960 were rendered

facially unconstitutional by Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S.

466, 490 (2000). He concedes that his argument is foreclosed by

our opinion in United States v. Slaughter, 238 F.3d 580, 581-82

(5th Cir. 2000), which rejected a broad Apprendi-based attack on

 Case: 03-20664 Document: 005183610 Page: 1 Date Filed: 02/18/2004
No. 03-20664

-2-

the constitutionality of 21 U.S.C. § 841. He raises the issue

only to preserve it for Supreme Court review. 

Slaughter applies directly to Gonzalez’s drug-possession

conviction and by analogy to his drug-importation conviction,

given the similarities between 21 U.S.C. § 841(a) & (b) and 21

U.S.C. § 952 and § 960(a)(1) & (b). His appeal is foreclosed by

Slaughter, and the judgment of the district court is therefore

AFFIRMED. 

 Case: 03-20664 Document: 005183610 Page: 2 Date Filed: 02/18/2004