Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca5-14-40229/USCOURTS-ca5-14-40229-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Juan Manuel Torres-Rodriguez
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

No. 14-40229

Summary Calendar

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Appellee

v.

JUAN MANUEL TORRES-RODRIGUEZ, also known as Juan Manuel 

Rodriguez, also known as Juan Torres-Rodriguez,

Defendant-Appellant

Appeal from the United States District Court

for the Southern District of Texas

USDC No. 5:13-CR-792-1

Before KING, JOLLY, and HAYNES, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM:*

Juan Manuel Torres-Rodriguez appeals the 46-month sentence of 

imprisonment imposed following his plea of guilty to illegal reentry into the 

United States following deportation. He contends the district court erred by 

applying a 12-level enhancement pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 2L1.2 based on his 

 

* 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

FILED

July 10, 2015

Lyle W. Cayce

Clerk

Case: 14-40229 Document: 00513111255 Page: 1 Date Filed: 07/10/2015
No. 14-40229

2

prior conviction of knowing or intentional delivery of marijuana. See TEX.

HEALTH & SAFETY CODE ANN. § 481.120(b)(3).

According to Torres-Rodriguez, the § 2L1.2 enhancement is inapplicable 

to his prior conviction because the Texas statute could be violated by the 

administration of marijuana, an act outside of the generic definition of a drug 

trafficking offense under § 2L1.2. We review de novo this preserved objection. 

United States v. Teran-Salas, 767 F.3d 453, 457 (5th Cir. 2014), cert. denied, 

135 S. Ct. 1892 (2015). However, Torres-Rodriguez cites no Texas cases, nor 

any facts in his own situation, showing that Texas courts have applied

§ 481.120 to administering. Under Teran-Salas, 767 F.3d at 460, such a 

showing of a theoretical possibility, as opposed to a realistic probability, is 

insufficient to show error.

Torres-Rodriguez additionally contends that the § 2L1.2 enhancement is 

inapplicable because the Texas statute may encompass giving away a 

controlled substance for no remuneration, also conduct outside of the generic 

definition of a drug trafficking offense. This court recently rejected the 

argument that an offense must require remuneration to qualify as a drug 

trafficking offense under § 2L1.2. United States v. Martinez-Lugo, 782 F.3d 

198, 201-05 (5th Cir. 2015). Accordingly, Torres-Rodriguez’s argument is 

foreclosed.

AFFIRMED.

Case: 14-40229 Document: 00513111255 Page: 2 Date Filed: 07/10/2015