Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-03-03467/USCOURTS-ca8-03-03467-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Jose Cruz Hermosillo-Banuelos
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

1

The Honorable James M. Rosenbaum, Chief Judge, United States District

Court for the District of Minnesota.

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 03-3467

___________

United States of America, *

*

Appellee, *

* Appeal from the United States

v. * District Court for the

* District of Minnesota.

Jose Cruz Hermosillo-Banuelos, *

* [UNPUBLISHED]

Appellant. *

___________

Submitted: May 25, 2004

 Filed: June 1, 2004

___________

Before MORRIS SHEPPARD ARNOLD, FAGG, and SMITH, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

Jose Cruz Hermosillo-Banuelos appeals the sentence the district court1

 imposed

after he pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute more than 500 grams of a mixture

or substance containing methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846.

Hermosillo-Banuelos argues the district court clearly erred in denying him a minorparticipant reduction under U.S.S.G. § 3B1.2. See United States v. Lopez-Arce, 267

F.3d 775, 784 (8th Cir. 2001) (standard of review). 

Appellate Case: 03-3467 Page: 1 Date Filed: 06/01/2004 Entry ID: 1772665 
-2-

We find no clear error, because Hermosillo-Banuelos knew that he was

transporting drugs, the transaction involved a significant quantity, and he was to

receive $1,000 for his role in the transaction. See U.S.S.G. § 3B1.2, comment. (n.5)

(minor participant means “a defendant . . . who is less culpable than most other

participants, but whose role could not be described as minimal”); United States v.

Santos-Garcia, 313 F.3d 1073, 1081 (8th Cir. 2002) (role as courier does not

automatically entitle defendant to downward adjustment); cf. United States v. Ortiz,

236 F.3d 420, 422 (8th Cir. 2001) (affirming denial of minor-participant reduction

where defendant drove car used for transporting drugs and seemed quite aware of

what was happening during drug sale); United States v. Alverez, 235 F. 3d 1086,

1090-91 (8th Cir. 2000) (affirming denial of minor-participant reduction where

defendant was aware of substantial quantity of narcotics in spare tire, and even

though defendant may have only acted as courier, his sentence was based solely on

quantity of drugs found in his vehicle), cert. denied, 532 U.S. 1031 (2001).

Accordingly, we affirm.

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Appellate Case: 03-3467 Page: 2 Date Filed: 06/01/2004 Entry ID: 1772665