FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P E ALS E LE V EN T HC IRC U IT MAY 29, 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. 06- 15154 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D. C. Do c k e tNo . 0 5 - 2 0 8 9 3 - CR - DLG 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 E R I C G A R D I N E R , 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 S outhe rn D i s tr i c tof F l or i da

_________________________ ( M ay 29, 2008) B efo re A N D E R S O N , H U L L an d P R Y O R , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: E r i c G a r di ne rappe a l s hi s c onvi c t i ons f orc ons pi r a c y t o i m por tc oc a i ne , 212

U . S. C. § § 9 5 2 ( a ) , 9 6 3 , a n d c o n s p i r a c y t o c o mmi tmo n e y l a u n d e r i n g , 1 8 U . S. C. § 1956( a ) ( 1) ( B ) ( i ) - ( i i ) , ( h) . G a r di ne ra r gue s tha tthe di s tr i c tc our ts houl d ha ve di sm i ss ed hi s i nd i ctm entbecause the go vernm ental l egedl y c i rc um vent ed an e x tr a d itio n tr e a ty b e tw e e n th e U n ite d S ta te s a n d th e D o m in ic a n R e p u b lic . W e a f f i r m. I . B AC KG RO UN D G a r di ne r , a B a ha m i a n na t i ona l w ho w a s unde ri nve s t i ga t i on by the D rug E nf or c e m e ntA dm i ni s tr a t i on f orhi s di s tr i but i on of

na r c ot i c s , e nt e r e d the D om i ni ca n R epub l i c usi ng a f al se pass po rt . T he use of afa l se pass po rtvi ol at ed the l aw s of the D om i ni ca n R epub l i c, bu tG ar di ner w as al l ow ed t o ent erthe coun try ba s e d on c oor di na t i on be tw e e n drug e nf or c e m e ntof

f i c i a l s i n tha tc ountry a nd the U ni t ed S t at es . W hen h e l ea rned of G ar di ner’ s l ocat i on , S peci al A gentM anuel R e c i o of the U ni t e d S t a t e s s poke w i th C ol one l P abl o J i m e ne z S a nc he z of the D om i ni ca n R epub l i c abo utob t ai ni ng cust od y of G ar di ner. E le v e n d a y s a f

te rG a r d in e re n te r e d th e D o m in ic a n R e p u b lic , a g r a n d ju ry in th e S o u th e rn D is tr ic t o f F lo r id a r e tu rn e d a n in d ic tm e n t th a t c h a r g e d G a r d in e rw ith 23 se para t e off

ense s r el at ed t o the drug conspi ra cy . A gentR ec i o con t ac t ed I nt e rpol t o a ddr e s s e xtr a di t i on pr oc e dur e s , buthe di d notdi s c us s the e xtr a di t i on tre aty betw ee n the U ni t ed S t at es and the D om i ni ca n R epub l i c. Int erpo l expl ai ned3

t o the a ge nttha te a c h c ountry ha d i t s ow n rul e s gove rni ng e xtr a di t i on. T he D rug E nf

or c e m e ntA dm i ni s tr a t i on di d noti nt e nd t o r e l y on e xtr a di t i on pr oc e dur e s . A c c or di ng t o i t s a ge nt s , the D om i ni c a n R e publ i c c oul d e xpe l a ny nonc itiz e n s o lo n g a s th e U n ite d S ta te h a d a v a lid a rr e s t w a rr a n t. A g e n t R e c io su b m itted a “re d n o ti ce ap p li ca ti o n ” to In terp o l th at in clu d ed a “P ro se cu to r’s A gr e e m e ntt o E xtr a di t e . ” I n the a gr e e m e nt , a f e de r a l pr os e c ut ora gr e e d t o pr ovi de a d d itio n a l in f

o r m a tio n to th e O f

f ic e o f I n te rn a tio n a l A f

f a ir s o f th e U n ite d S ta te s if th e fed eral g o v ern m en tw an t ed a co o p erat i n g co u n try p ro v i si o n al l y t o arrest G ar di ner pendi ng extra di t i on proceedi ng s; draf tan extra di t i on re qu es t ; and n ot i fy the O f f i c e i f the pr os e c ut orno l onge rs oughte xtr a di t i on. I nt e rpol i s s ue d a “ di f

f us i on not i c e ” tha ta l e r t e d othe rc ountr i e s tha tthe U ni t ed S t at es had i ss ued a w arra ntfor G ar di ner’ s a rr es t . T he di ff usi on no t i ce st at ed th atth e U n i t ed S t at es w o u l d “ i f p o ssi b l e, fo rm al l y req u estp ro v i si o n al arrest w i th a vi e w t ow a r d e xtr a di t i on i n a c c or da nc e w i th a ny appl i c abl e e xtr a di t i on tre aty[ . ] ” T he di ff

usi on no t i ce al so re qu es t ed thata c ou ntrygi ve the U ni t ed S t at es n o tic e “[ i]f

, in lie u o f

e x tr a d itio n , [ f

o r e ig n ] a u th o r itie s c a n e x c lu d e , e x p e l, d e p o r t, or otherw i se re m ov e” G ar di ner. A f t e rr e c e i ptof

the di f f us i on not i c e , C ol one l S a nc he z r e c e i ve d pe r m i s s i on fr om the D om i ni ca n N at i on al D i re ct or for D rug C on trol t o exp el G ar di ner, pl ac ed4

G ar di ner und erarre st , and m ade a rr angem ent s t o tra nsfe r G ar di ner t o federa l a g e n ts . T w o d a y s la te r , f e d e r a l a g e n ts to o k c u s to d y o f G a r d in e ra t th e S a n to D om i ngo a i rpor t . T he a rr e s tw a s de s c r i be d by the D om i ni c a n a uthor i t i e s a s the pr oduc tof

a s uc c e s s f

ul j oi ntope r a t i on w i th the U ni t e d S t a t e s tha te nde d i n the expu l si on of an i nt ernat i on al drug tra ff i cker . G a r d in e rm o v e d to d is m is s h is in d ic tm e n t. G a r d in e ra r g u e d th a t, w h e n it e m pl oy e d I nt e rpol pr oc e dur e s f orhi s a rr e s t , the f

e de r a l gove rnm e nti nvoke d the e xtr a di t i on tr e a ty be tw e e n the U ni t e d S t a t e s a nd the D om i ni c a n R e publ i c , a nd he w as ent i t l ed t o a heari ng i n a fore i gn courtbefore hi s e xtra di t i on . In an evi dent i ary he a r i ng, A ge ntR e c i o t e s t i f i e d tha tC ol one l S a nc he z a rr e s t e d G a r di ne rba s e d on the d if f u s io n n o tic e a n d d id n o t r e c e iv e a c o p yo f th e P r o s e c u to r ’s A g r e e m e n t. R e c io ex p l ai n ed th atC o l o n el S an ch ez b el i ev ed h e co u l d n o tex trad i t e G ard i n er b ecau se the D om i ni c a n R e publ i c w oul d notc ons i de re xtr a di t i on of a nonc i t i z e n. T he di stri ctcourtdeni ed G ar di ner’ s m ot i on t o d i sm i ss . G ar di ner r es erved the r i ghtt o appe a l the de c i s i on a nd pl e a de d gui l ty t o c ons pi r a c y t o i m por tc oc a i ne and con spi ra cy t o com m i tm on eyl aund er i ng . T he di stri ctcourtse nt ence d G a r di ne rt o tw o c onc urr e ntt e r m s of 220 m onths of

i m pr i s onm e nta nd c onc urr e nt t erm s of f

i ve and three ye ar s of s up ervi se d rel ea se .5 I I . STA N D A R D O F R EVI EW W e r e vi e w the de ni a l of a m ot i on t o di s m i s s the i ndi c tm e ntf orabus e of di s c r e t i on a nd w e e xa m i ne r e l a t e d que s t i ons of l a w de novo. U ni t e d S t a t e s v. N ori ega, 11 7 F . 3d 12 06 , 12 11 (11th C i r. 19 97 ). I I I . DI S CUS S I ON G a r di ne ra r gue s , ba s e d on the c om m e nc e m e ntof I nt e rpol e xtr a di t i on pr oc e dur e s a nd the l a ngua ge c ont a i ne d i n the P r os e c ut or ’ s A gr e e m e nta nd the di f f us i on not i c e , tha thi s r e m ova l f r om the D om i ni c a n R e publ i c c ons t i tut e d a de f a c to e x tr a d itio n . G a r d in e ra r g u e s th a t th e g o v e rn m e n t w a s r e q u ir e d to c o m p ly w i th the extra di t i on tre aty betw ee n the U ni t ed S t at es and the D om i ni ca n R epub l i c, and the fa i l ure of the go vernm entt o g ra ntG ar di ner a n evi dent i ary hea ri ng before extra di t i on ent i t l es hi m t o a di sm i ss al of al l char ges a nd re l ea se . W e di sa gree . A n extra di t i on tre aty oft en i s notthe excl usi ve m etho d b y w hi ch the U ni t ed S tates c an o b tain cu sto d y o f a fo re ig n citi ze n . A trea ty se rv es to “p ro v id e[ ] a m e c h a n is m w h ic h w o u ld n o t o th e rw is e e x is t, r e q u ir in g , u n d e rc e r ta in ci rc um st ance s, the [s i gn at ory c ou ntri es ] t o extra di t e i nd i vi du al s t o the other c o u n try , a n d e s tab lis h [ e s ] th e p r o c e d u r e s to b e f o llo w e d w h e n th e T r e a ty is in v o k e d .” U n ite d S ta te s v . A lv a r e z - M a c h a in , 5 0 4 U .S . 6 6 8 , 6 6 4

– 6 5 , 1 1 2 S . C t. 2 1 8 8 , 2 1 9 4 ( 1 9 9 2 ) . F o re x tr a d itio n to b e th e s o le m e th o d o f tr a n s f e r , th e tr e a ty6

m us te xpr e s s l y pr ohi bi ta nyothe rm e thod. I d. a t666–69, 112 S . C t . a t2194–96; N ori ega, 11 7 F . 3d at12 13 . A bsentan expres s prohi bi t i on , even i f aform al e xtr a di t i on ha s be e n i ni t i a t e d, a gove rnm e ntm a y obt a i n c us t ody of a de f e nda ntby o th e rm e th o d s , in c lu d in g ab d u c tio n , e x p u ls io n , o rs u rr e n d e rb yth e h o s t c o u n try . K erv. Il l i no i s, 11 9 U . S . 43 6, 43 8, 44 2– 43 , 7 S . C t . 22 5, 22 6, 22 8– 29 (188 6). T he di s tr i c tc our tdi d note rrw he n i tde ni e d G a r di ne r ’ s m ot i on t o di s m i s s the i nd i ctm ent . G ar di ner had t o est abl i sh “ by re fe re nce t o the express l angu age of a tr e a ty . . . th a t th e U n ite d S ta te s a f f ir m a tiv e ly a g r e e d n o t to s e iz e f o r e ig n n a tio n a ls fr om the t erri t ory of i t s tre aty partner. ” N ori ega, 11 7 F . 3d at12 13 . G ar di ner f ai l ed to e s tab lis h th a t th e tr e a ty p r o h ib ite d m e th o d s o th e rth a n e x tr a d itio n to o b ta in c u s to d y , a n d th e m e th o d b y w h ic h G a r d in e rw a s b r o u g h t in to th e U n ite d S ta te s d id n o td ep ri v e th e d i stri ctco u rto f j u ri sd i ct i o n o v er G ard i n er’ s cri m i n al ch arg es. T h e d en i al o f G ard i n er’ s m o t i o n t o d i sm i ss th e i n d i ctm en ti s AF F I RME D.