FI LED U. S . COURT OF AP PE ALS E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT D e c e m be r 21, 2005 T HOM AS K. KAHN CL E RK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H]

I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

________________________ N o. 05- 11502 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D . C. D o c k e tN o . 0 4 - 0 0 2 4 3 - CR- T- 1 7 - M SS U N I T E D S T A T E S O F A M E R I C A , P la in tif f - A p p e lle e , v ersu s A B E L A R D O C U E R O A R B O L E D A , D e f e n d a n t- A p p e lla n t.

________________________ A pp ea l fr om t he U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f orthe M i ddl e D i s tr i c tof F l or i da

_________________________ ( D e c e m be r21, 2005) B efo re A N D E R S O N , B IR C H an d H U L L , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M:The Coast Gua rd re covered one of

the bales of

cocaine and de termined that it containe d 1 approximately

20 kilograms of coc aine. 2 A f t e rpl e a di ng gui l ty , D e f e nda ntA be l a r do C ue r o A rbol e da a ppe a l s hi s 135- m o n th s e n te n c e f

o r : ( 1 ) a id in g a n d a b e ttin g th e p o s s e s s io n w ith in te n t to d is tr ib u te f i ve ki l ogr a m s orm or e of c oc a i ne w hi l e a boa r d a ve s s e l s ubj e c tt o the j ur i s di c t i on o f th e U n i t e d St a t e s , i n v i o l a t i o n o f 4 6 A p p . U . S. C. § § 1 9 0 3 ( a ) , ( g ) , a n d 2 1 U . S. C. § 960( b) ( 1) ( B ) ( i i ) ; a nd ( 2) c ons pi r a c y t o pos s e s s w i th i nt e ntt o di s tr i but e f i ve ki l ogr a m s orm or e of

c oc a i ne w hi l e on boa r d a ve s s e l s ubj e c tt o the j ur i s di c t i on of the U ni t e d S t a t e s , i n vi ol a t i on of 46 A pp. U . S . C . §§ 1903( a ) , ( g) , a nd ( j ) , a nd 21 U . S. C. § 9 6 0 ( b ) ( 1 ) ( B) ( i i ) . A f t e rr e v i e w , w e a f

f i r m. I . F AC T UA L B AC KG RO UN D O n M ay 15 , 20 04 , the U ni t ed S t at es C oastG uard ob se rved a C ol um bi an f is h in g v e s s e l, th e E s tr e lla d e l S u r , p u ll u p a lo n g s id e a “g o - f a s t” b o a t n e a rC o s ta R i c a t o s uppl y i tw i th f

ue l a nd f ood. U pon s e e i ng the C oa s tG ua r d, both the gofa stbo atand t he E stre l l a del S ur fl ed. A s the bo at s f l ed, t he C oastG uard ob se rved the “ go -f as t ” c re w drop approx i m at el y 30 b al es of cocai ne i nt o t he ocean. A ft er 1 the C oa s tG ua r d a ppr e he nde d the E s tr e l l a de l S ur , the 8- m a n c r e w , i nc l udi ng D e f e nda ntA rbol e da , w e r e a r r e s t e d. A ts e nt e nc i ng the di s tr i c tc our tc onc l ude d, ove rt he de f e nda nt ’ s obj e c t i on, tha tthe de f

e nda ntw a s r e s pons i bl e f ora tl e a s t150 ki l ogr a m s of c oc a i ne . W i th a3

c r im in a l h is to r y c a te g o r y I a n d a n a d ju s te d o f f e n s e le v e l o f

3 3 , th e a p p lic a b le gu i del i nes r ange w as 13 5-16 8 m on ths’ i m pri sonm ent . A ft erexpl i ci t l y s t at i ng that the gui de l i ne s w e r e a dvi s or y unde rU ni t e d S t a t e s v. B ooke r , 543 U . S . 220, 125 S . C t . 7 3 8 (2 0 0 5 ), th e d i stri ctco u rtsen t en ced A rb o l ed a t o 1 3 5 m o n th s’ i m pri sonm ent , st at i ng that“ the se nt ence i m po se d i s s uffi ci ent , bu tno tgrea t erthan n e c e s s a r y to c o m p ly w ith th e s ta tu to r y p u rp o s e s o f s e n te n c in g .” I I . DI S CUS S I ON A f te rB o o k e r , a n d e v e n u n d e ra n a d v is o r y g u id e lin e s s c h e m e , d is tr ic t c o u r ts m u st stil l co rr ec tl y c alcu late th e g u id elin es ra n g e w h en d eter m in in g a d ef en d an t’ s s e nt e nc e . S e e U ni t e d S t a t e s v. C r a w f or d, 407 F . 3d 1174, 1178 ( 11 C i r . 2005) th ( s ta tin g th a t, a f

te rB o o k e r , d is tr ic t c o u r ts m u s t c o n s u lt th e G u id e lin e s a n d “[ t]h is c o n s u lta tio n r e q u ir e m e n t, a t a m in im u m , o b lig e s th e d is tr ic t c o u r t to c a lc u la te c or r e c t l y the s e nt e nc i ng r a nge pr e s c r i be d by the G ui de l i ne s ” ) . D e f e nda nt A rb o le d a ’s c h a lle n g e to th e d is tr ic t c o u r t’s f a c tu a l f in d in g th a t h e w a s r e s p o n s ib le for a tl ea st15 0 k i l og ra m s of c ocai ne i s w i tho utm er i t . T he C oastG uard ob se rved the c r e w of

the go- f a s tboa tdum pi ng a ppr oxi m a t e l y 30 ba l e s of c oc a i ne i nt o the o c e a n . T h e C o a s t G u a r d r e c o v e r e d o n e o f th e s e b a le s a n d d e te r m in e d th a t it c ont a i ne d 20 ki l ogr a m s of c oc a i ne . A s the di s tr i c tc our tde t e r m i ne d, the go vernm entw as l i kel y “ conser vat i ve i n t hei r e st i m at e of how m uch cocai ne w asDuringthe sentenc ing he aring , the district court stated that 2 thereremains great c onfusion about all of this [Booker c hang es t o the Sentenc ing Guidelines]. Iam waitingfor the peo p le who havethe power to finally make up the ir min ds wh at arewedo ing . I wa s aro un d in 19 84 wh e n all o f t his sta rt e d w ith the minium mandatories and then theguidelines in ‘86. I just work here . Iam just trying to f

ollow whateve r it is people at higher pay grade s aretelling meto do. An d I do n’ t think we ne e d to add to the c on fu sio n. Isay that r e sp e c tf

ully to all my brothers a

nd sisters that areg oing of f in other diff

erent directions here. B ut we a re g oing to ha

ve enough case s comingback now , and wedo need to have sta bil ity and pre dic ta bil ity , s o th at la

wye rsc an a dv isethe ir

c lie nts . We do n’ t ne e d gue ssm ans hip . So I un de rs tand your argument. P lea se understand what I

am trying to do. It w ou ld h avebe e n im

prop e r f or a dis tric t c ourt

to ado pt a po st- B oo ke r ruletha

t, i n o rd e r t o e sta

bli sh predic tability an d s t ab i l ity , sentenc es would still be within the guidelines rang e in its particular courtroom. Although the district court’s state ments arguably provide some support f or def endant’ s c onte nti on s, wedo no t r e a d th e dis tric t c ourt ’s st ateme nts in t his c a sea s c re atin gany

su c h p e r s e rule. Rather , the district court e xpressly acknow ledg ed that the guidelines were advisory and that “the se ntenceimposed is sufficient, but n o t gre at er than nec essar y to comply

with the statutory purposes of sentencing .” 4 in v o lv ed h er e.” T h u s, w e a ff irm th e d istrict co u rt’s ca lcu lati o n o f D ef en d an t’ s g u id e lin e s r a n g e a s 1 3 5 - 1 6 8 m o n th s ’ im p r is o n m e n t. T he de f e nda nta l s o a r gue s tha tthe di s tr i c tc our te r r e d by tr e a t i ng the gui de l i ne s r a nge a s m a nda t or y e ve n a f t e rB ooke r . H ow e ve r , a s not e d a bove , the

2 d is tr ic t c o u r t e x p lic itly s ta te d th a t th e g u id e lin e s w e r e a d v is o r y u n d e rB o o k e r . F urt herm ore, i n sent enci ng A rbol eda t o 1 35 m on ths’ i m pri sonm ent , t he di stri ct courtst at ed t hat“ the se nt ence i m po se d i s s uffi ci ent , bu tno tgrea t erthan n ec es sa ry to c o m p ly w ith th e s ta tu to r y p u rp o s e s o f s e n te n c in g .” G iv e n th e r e c o r d in th is c a s e , w e c a nnotc onc l ude tha tthe di s tr i c tc our ta ppl i e d the gui de l i ne s i n a m andat ory f

as hi on . C on se qu ent l y, w e a ff i rm A rbol eda’ s 135 -m on th sent ence . AF F I R ME D.