FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEV EN T HC IRC U IT FEB RUARY 11, 2008 THOMAS K. KAH

N CLERK [ 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. 07- 13518 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D . C. D o c k e tN o . 0 7 - 0 0 0 7 5 - CR- T- 2 6 - 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 W I L M A N A N T O N I O A L C A L A - S A N V I C E N T E , D e f e n d a n t- A p p e lla n t.

________________________ A pp ea l fr om the 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

_________________________ ( F e b r u ar y 11, 2008) B efo re C A RN E S , B A R K E T T an d W IL S O N , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: W i l m an A nt on i o A l ca l a- S anvi ce nt e app ea l s the di stri ctcourt ’ s deni al of a2

m i no r- rol e r educt i on , pu rs uantt o U . S . S . G . § 3 B 1. 2(b). A l ca l a- S anvi ncent e a gree d t o s e rve aboa r d a f

r e i ght e rtha the kne w w a s be i ng us e d t o s m uggl e c oc a i ne . T he cr ew consi st ed of ei gh tother m em bers . T he C oastG uard di sc ov er ed m ore than 1 0 ,0 0 0 k ilo g r a m s o f

c o c a in e h id d e n o n th e v e s s e l. A lc a la - S a n v in c e n te p le d g u ilty t o one c ountof

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 or m ore of c ocai ne w hi l e on b oard a ves se l subj ec tt o the j uri sdi ct i on of the U ni t ed S ta te s , in v io la tio n o f

4 6 U .S .C . § § 7 0 5 0 3 ( a ) , 7 0 5 0 6 ( a ) , ( b ) a n d 2 1 U .S .C . § 960( b) ( 1) ( B ) ( i i ) , a nd one c ountof pos s e s s i ng 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 U . S . C . §§ 70503( a ) , 70506( a ) , 18 U . S . C . § 2, a nd 21 U . S . C . § 960( b) ( 1) ( B ) ( i i ) . H i s t ot a l of f e ns e l e ve l w a s r e duc e d by f i ve l ev el s, aft er w h i ch h i s G u i d el i n es ran g e w as cal cu l at ed as 1 3 5

– 1 6 8 m o n th s’ i m p ri so n m en t . T h e d i stri ctco u rtsen t en ced A l cal a-S an v i n cen t e t o 1 3 5 m o n th s’ i m p ri so n m en to n b o th co u n t s, t o ru n co n cu rren t l y. O n appe a l , A l c a l a - S a nvi c e nt e a r gue s tha the w a s nota n or ga ni z e ror s upe rvi s orof

the s m uggl i ng ope r a t i on, a nd he w a s l e s s c ul pabl e tha n a ny of hi s c oconspi ra t ors. H e a l so ar gu es thatno thi ng i n the di stri ctcourt ’ s s ent ence i nd i ca t es th a t it p r o p e r ly c o n s id e r e d th e f a c to r s in U .S .S .G . § 1 B 1 .3 ( a ) r e g a r d in g h is a d ju s tm e n t. F o rth e r e a s o n s s e t f o r th b e lo w , w e a f

f irm .3

“ [A ] d i stri ctco u rt ’ s d et erm i n at i o n o f a d efen d an t ’ s ro l e i n th e o ffen se i s a fi nd i ng of fa ctt o b e r evi ew ed on l y f or cl ea r e rr or. ” Un i te d

S ta te s v . R o dr i q u ezDe V ar on , 1 7 5 F . 3 d 9 3 0 , 9 3 7 ( 1 1 th C i r . 1 9 9 9 ) . F u r th e re x p l a i n i n g th i s s t a n d a r d , we ha ve s t a t e d, [ A ] tr i a l c our t ’ s c hoi c e be tw e e n ‘ tw o pe rm i s s i bl e vi e w s of the e v id e n c e ’ is th e v e ry e s s e n c e o f th e c le a re rr o rs ta n d a r d o f r e v ie w . . . . S o l ong a s the ba s i s of

the tr i a l c our t ’ s de c i s i on i s s uppor t e d by the r e c or d and

d o e s n o ti n v o l v e a m i s ap p l i c a t i o n o f a ru l e o f l a w, we be l i e ve tha ti tw i l l be r a r e f ora n appe l l a t e c our tt o c onc l ude tha tthe s e n te n c in g c o u r t’s d e te rm in a tio n is c le a r ly e rr o n e o u s . I d. a t 9 4 5 ( c ita tio n o m itte d ) . S ec t i on 3B 1. 2 o f the S ent enci ng G ui del i nes provi des f or a tw o-l evel d e c r e a s e if

th e d e f e n d a n t w a s a m in o rp a r tic ip a n t in a n y c r im in a l a c tiv ity . U . S . S . G . § 3 B 1. 2. A defe nd anti s am i no r part i ci panti f he i s l es s c ul pabl e than m o s t o th e rp a r tic ip a n ts , b u t h is r o le c a n n o t b e d e s c r ib e d a s m in im a l. I d. c m t. n .5 .

“ T he de f e nda ntbe a r s the bur de n of pr ovi ng hi s m i norr ol e by a pr e ponde r a nc e of the evi dence. ” U

ni ted Stat es v. B oyd , 29 1 F . 3d 12 74 , 12 77 (11th C i r. 20 02 ). I n d e te rm in in g w h e th e ra d e f e n d a n t q u a lif

ie s f o ra m in o r - r o le a d

ju s tm e n t, the di s tr i c tc our tf

i r s t“ m us tm e a s ur e the de f e nda nt ’ s r ol e a ga i ns tthe r e l e va nt co n d u ctfo r w h i ch [h e] w as h el d acco u n t ab l e atsen t en ci n g , ” an d seco n d , “ m ay al so m ea sure the defendant ’ s r ol e a gai nstother part i ci pant s, t o the ext entthatthey a re di sc ernabl e, i n thatre l evantcond uct . ” D e V ar on , 175 F . 3d a t945. W he r e a drug4

couri er ’ s r el evantcond ucti s l i m i t ed t o h i s ow n cri m i nal ac t , a di stri ctcourtm ay l egi t i m at el y c on cl ud e thatthe couri erpl ay ed an i m po rt antor es se nt i al rol e i n that c r im e . Se e i d. a t942–43. F ur the rm or e , “ w he r e the r e l e va ntc onduc ta ttr i but e d t o a defe nd anti s i dent i ca l t o [hi s] ac tual cond uct , [he] ca nn otprov e that[he] i s e nt i t l ed to a m in o rr o le a d

ju s tm e n t s im p ly b y p o in tin g to s o m e b r o a d e rc r im in a l s c h e m e in w hi ch [he] w as a m i no r part i ci pantbu tfor w hi ch [he] w as no thel d acc ou nt abl e. ” I d. at94 1. “ [T ] he am ou ntof drug s i m po rt ed, ” m oreover, “ i s am at er i al consi dera t i on i n ass es si ng a def endant ’ s r ol e i n [hi s] re l evantcond uct . ” I d. a t 9 4 3 . A s t o the se cond pron g, “ the di stri ctcourtm ustdet erm i ne thatthe defendantw as l e s s c ul pabl e tha n m o s t o th e rp a r tic ip a n ts i n [hi s] re l evantcond uct . ” I d. a t 9 4 4 . M or e ove r , r e l a t i ve c ul pabi l i ty i s notne c e s s a r i l y di s pos i t i ve , a s none of the p a r tic ip a n ts m a y h a v e p la y e d a m in o ro rm in im a l r o le . I d. T h e d i stri ctco u rtd i d n o tcl earl y err i n d en yi n g A l cal a-S an v i cen t e’ s req u est f o ra m in o r - r o le r e d u c tio n to h is o f f e n s e le v e l b e c a u s e h e is b e in g h e ld a c c o u n tab le onl y f orthe a m ountof

drugs tha ta r e a ttr i but abl e t o hi m pe r s ona l l y , a nd none of the e vi de nc e s ugge s t s tha the pl a y e d a s m a l l e rr ol e i n the of f e ns e tha n a ny of

the o th e rc r e w me mb e r s , e x c e p tth e s h i p ’ s c ap t a i n . A c c o r d i n g l y , w e a f f i rm. AF F I RME D.