# U ni te d S ta te s Co ur t of A pp ea ls For the Eig hth Circu it

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No. 1 8- 16 83

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ Uni te d S ta te s o f Am eri ca

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Pla in ti

ff - App el le e

v.

Elv ia Adi le ne Iba rra- San ch ez

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Defe nd

an t - Ap pe ll an t

__ __ __ __ __ __ App eal fro m

Uni te d S ta te s Di st ric t Co ur t fo r th e Dis tri ct of M in ne so ta - St. Pa ul

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Su bm it te d: Marc h 1 1, 2 01 9 Fi le d: May 6, 20 19 [Un pu bl is he d]

__ __ __ __ __ __ Befo re SHEPHERD, ARNOLD, and ERICKSON, Ci rcu it Ju dg es

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PER CURI AM.

In Nov em

be r 20 16
, Elv ia Ib arra -San ch ez wa s i n d ic te d on on e co un t of

co ns pi rin g to di st rib ut e m et ha m ph et am in e an d two co un ts of ai di ng an d ab et ti ng th e di st rib ut io n of m et ha m

ph et am in e. Se e 21 U.S.C. §§ 8 4 1( a)(1 ), (b )(1 )(C)
, 84 6; 18 U.S.C. § 2. At tri al
, he r pr im ary de fen se was th at sh e di d no t kn owi ng ly co m m it th ecri m es

. The jury fo un d her gu il ty on al l co un ts , an d th e di st ric t co ur t se nt en ced he r 1

to two y ears in pr is on an d th ree y ears of su pe rv is ed rel eas e. Sh e ap pe al s, arg ui ng th e di st ric t co ur t pl ai nl y erre d in al lo win g an ex pe rt to pr e se nt so -cal le d dr ug -co ur ie r
te st im on y an d th at th e di st ric t co ur t ab us ed it s di sc ret io n by gi vi ng th e jury a wil lfu lbl in dn es s i ns tru ct io n. We affi rm

.

Th e in di ct m en t ag ai ns t Ib arra -San ch ez in cl ud ed ch arg es th at sh e co ns pi red wit h he r bo y fri en d tu rn ed f i an cé, Je ov an i Hue rta -Go nz al ez. He pl ead ed gu il ty an d

te st ifi ed on I b a rra- San ch ez's be ha lf at he r tri al

. Bo th te st ifi ed th at he sh ie ld ed he r fro m hi s il li ci t dr ug tra ffi ck in g, to th e po in t th at , acco rd in g to Hue rta -Go nz al ez, Ib arra -San ch ez "d id n't kn ow an y th in g ab ou t wha t I was do i n g

. " Ib arra -San ch ez ad m it s th at sh e was wit h Hue rta

- G o n z a le z on th ree oc cas io ns whe n he di st rib ut ed

m e t h a mp he ta m in e, bu t sh e m ai nt ai ns sh e st il l di d no t real iz e he was di st rib ut in g dr ug s. Th e go ve rn m en t, on th e ot he r ha nd , p res en te d te st im on y fro m an un in di ct ed

co co ns pi rat or who sa id
, am on g ot he r th in gs , th at Ib arra -San ch ez ha d wit ne ss ed dr ug
tra ns act io ns , th at sh e ha d in st ru ct e d H ue rta -Go nz al ez whe re to fin d dr ug s in hi s
ap art m en t on on e oc cas io n, an d th at sh e ha d ha nd le d so m e of th e dr ug -tr an sa ct io n
pr oc eed s.

The go ve rn m en t al so cal le d a po li ce of fic er to gi ve ex pe rt te st im on y ab ou t th e

m od us op eran di of dr

ug tra ffi ck ers

. He te st ifi ed th at dr ug de al ers of

te n us e gi rlf

rie nd s in va rio us way s to he lp th em di st rib ut e. He al so sa id th a t , whi le gi rlf rie nd s are no t

ne ces sa ril y m ad e aware of al l th e de ta il s of a co ns pi racy, "t he y are ab so lu te ly go in g
to be in fo rm ed ab o u t w h at 's go in g on ." He ack no wled ge d th at "o ne ti m e m ay be a

co in ci de nc e," bu t, he co nt in ue d, "i f so m eb od y 's ro le is to be pr es en t or so m eb od y is

pr es en t an d th ey 're act iv el y wor ki ng on be ha lf of th at or ga ni zat io n, th en th ey wou ld ha ve kn owl ed ge ab ou t wh at 's g oi ng on ."

The Hon or ab le Ann D. Mo nt go m ery, Uni te d St at es Dis tri ct Ju dg e fo r th e 1 Dis tri ct of M in ne so ta

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-Ib arra -San ch ez m ai nt ai ns on ap pe al th at th e di st ric t co ur t erre d in al lo win g th is

ex pe rt te st im on y be cau s e , s he co nt en ds
, it co ns ti tu te s im pe rm is si bl e dr ug -co ur ie r
te st im on y

. Bec au se de fen se co un se l di d no t ob ject to th is te st im on y be fo re th e di st ric t

co ur t, we rev ie w fo r pl ai n erro r. Se e Uni te d St at es v. So re ns en , 89 3 F.3 d 10 60
, 10 64 (8 th Ci r. 20 18 ). W ha t is cal le d dr ug co ur ie r ev id en ce is ge ne ral ly in ad m is si bl e at tri al be cau se it in vo lv es no th in g m or e th an te st im on y ab ou t in ve st ig at iv e te ch ni qu es th at
po li ce of fic ers us e to id en ti fy po te nt ia l d r u g c o ur ie rs

. Se e Uni te d St at es v. Hol mes , 75 1 F.3 d 84 6, 85 1 (8 th Ci r. 20 14 ). A co ur t, ho wev er, m ay a l l o w o f fic ers to gi ve

ex pe rt te st im on y co nc ern in g th e m od us op eran di of dr ug de al ers si nc e m os t juro rs are

un fam il ia r wit h t he tra de

. Uni te d St at es v. Sc hw ar ck
, 71 9 F.3 d 92 1, 92 3 (8 th Ci r. 20 13 ).

In so m e cas es th e li ne be twee n th es e two le ga l pr in ci pl es is ad m it te dl y

so m ewh at ha zy . But we ha ve sp eci fic al ly he ld th at "[e]xp ert tes ti m on y to th e eff ect th at dr ug tra ffi ck ers do no t typic al ly us e co ur ie rs who a r e un aware th ey are
tra ns po rti ng dr ug s is pe rm is si bl e whe re on e th eo ry of th e de fen se is th at th e de fen da nt

w a s un aware of th e pr es en ce of th e dr ug s." Uni te d St at es v. Urb in a , 43 1 F.3 d 3 0 5
, 31 1 (8 th Ci r. 20 05 ). Tha t's pr eci se ly th e si tu at io n he re; th e ap pa ren t ob ject of th e of fic er's te st im on y was to es ta bl is h th at Ib arra -San ch ez was aware of
, an d as si st ed in
, Hue rta -Go nz al ez's dru g t raff ic ki ng . W e th eref

or e de te ct no erro r, m

uc h le ss a p la in

on e.

W e rev ie w t he di st ric t co ur t's de ci si on to gi ve a wil lfu l-b li nd ne ss in st ru ct io n

ov er de fen se co un se l's ob jecti on for an ab us e o f di sc ret io n. Uni te d S ta te s v. Atki ns , 88 1 F.3 d 62 1, 62 7 (8 th Ci r. 20 18 ). W e ha ve de sc rib ed wil lfu l bl in dn es s as "a li m it ed

ex cep ti on " to a req ui rem en t th at th e de fen da nt ha ve act ua l kn owl ed ge of a cri me's

co m m is si on , ap pl y in g "o nl y if th e de fen da nt was aware of fact s th at pu t hi m on no ti ce th at cri m in al act iv it y was pr ob ab ly afo ot an d de li be rat el y fai le d to m ak e fu rth er in qu iri es , in te nd in g to rem ai n ig no ran t." Uni te d St at es v. Han se n , 79 1 F.3 d 86 3, 86 8 (8 th Cir . 20 15 ).

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-W e do n't th in k th e d i s t r i ct co ur t ab us ed it s di sc ret io n in gi vi ng a wil lfu lbl in dn es s i ns tru ct io n o n t hi s re co rd . We ha ve ex pl ai ne d th at su ch an "i ns tru ct io n i s
pa rti cu la rly a p p r o p ria te whe n th e de fen da nt de ni es an y kn owl ed ge of a cri m in al

sc he m e de sp it e st ro ng ev id en ce to th e co nt rary." Uni te d St at es v. W oo da rd
, 31 5 F.3 d
10 00
, 10 04 (8 th Ci r

. 20 03 ). In de ed
, Ib arra -San ch ez ad m it s be in g ne ar Hue rta

Gon zal ez du rin g th ree dr ug tra ns act io ns bu t di sc la im s an y kn owl ed ge of th em , so ,
un de r W oo da rd
, th e in st ru ct io n was ap pr op ria te

. Ib arra -San ch ez al so p o i n t s t o he r
te st im on y th at sh e qu es ti on ed Hue rta -Go nz al ez ab ou t warn in g si gn s of il li ci t act iv it y

an d m erel y acce pt ed hi s ex pl an at io ns

. Sh e arg ue s th at , by qu es ti on in g Hue rta

Gon zal ez, sh e di d no t bu ry he r he ad in th e sa nd

. Bu t th e jury w a s n o t ob li ga te d to be li ev e sh e q ue st io ne d h im , and ev en if it di d, it co ul d s ti ll reas on ab ly find th at he r

m ere q ue st io ni ng was i ns uf fic ie nt to sh ow s he di d n ot in te nd to rem ai n i gn or an t.

W e di sa gr ee wit h Ib arra -San ch ez th at th e in st ru ct io n lo wered th e go ve rn m en t's bu rd en of pr oo f to th e po in t th at sh e co ul d be co nv ic te d fo r m ere ne gl ig en ce. W e ha ve reject ed th is ve ry ar g u men t whe re, as he re, th e wil lfu l-b li nd ne ss in st ru ct io n al so in fo rm ed th e jury th at it co ul d no t fin d kn owl e d g e i f th e de fen da nt were "m erel y

ne gl ig en t, care le ss , or m is ta ke n." Se e Uni te d St at es v. Hai re , 80 6 F.3 d 99 1, 99 8 (8 th Ci r. 20 15 ).

Affi rm ed

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