Opinion ID: 222607
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Marijuana Cultivation

Text: The jury also heard voluminous evidence that Prince was personally involved in growing the more than 200 marijuana plants found at his house in Newton, Kansas. To convict Prince for manufacturing at least 100 plants of marijuana, the jury had to find Prince (1) knowingly or intentionally manufactured marijuana plants, and (2) he knew the amount of the controlled substance he manufactured was at least 100 plants. Jury Instruction No. 20; see also 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). Prince advances several arguments that the evidence was insufficient to convict him of this charge. First, Prince argues it would have been illogical for him to store his valuable gun collection in the same place as a large marijuana growing operation, given that he knew ahead of time about the ATF investigation. Next, Prince contends it was his sonsnot himwho lived in the house and grew the marijuana. [8] Prince denies living in the house at the time of the search, and he says that a latched and locked door, combined with a sophisticated ventilation system, prevented him from detecting the illicit activities in the basement. In short, Prince asserts that his adult children were solely responsible for the marijuana cultivation, and that even if he suspected illegal activity in the basement, his mere suspicion does not amount to aiding and abetting under § 841(a)(1). Whether it was logical for Prince to cultivate cannabis where he stored his guns is fundamentally a question of credibilityand therefore a question for the jury. At trial, Prince's attorney repeatedly argued that it made no sense for Prince, who knew he was under investigation, to store his firearms in a house with more than 200 marijuana plants. This was an appeal to logic unsupported by evidence. The jury apparently did not accept Prince's story, and we cannot question the jury's credibility determination unless it exceeds the bounds of rationality. It does not: none of the evidence supports Prince's contention that he sought to store his firearms in a neutral location devoid of criminal activity. Rather, he asks us to reevaluate the jury's inferences and concoct a different narrative furthering his theory of the case. This we cannot do. Similarly, Prince's argument that he was either unaware of the marijuana grow operation, or perhaps merely suspicious of criminal activity, does not withstand scrutiny. The record shows that the marijuana plants in the Newton house basement generated a pungent stench of marijuana that wafted throughout the house. In addition to rebutting Prince's contention that the house's ventilation system masked the marijuana odor, this evidence shows that it would simply have been impossible for Prince to live at the homewhich the evidence shows he didwithout being aware of the illicit enterprise in his basement. Moreover, in contrast to Prince's gloss on the evidence, the record shows that access to the basement was barely restricted at all. In fact, the basement door was not even locked, but was rather closed with a child-safety mechanism that was easily disabled. This is only the beginning of what the jury heard. In addition, evidence of the marijuana enterprise was strewn throughout the house. In the basement, law enforcement officers found a sophisticated marijuana cultivation operation, which included a planting bed, grow lights, fertilizers, chemicals, gardening tools, drug paraphernalia, and 204 marijuana plants. Authorities also seized literature with instructions for maintaining a marijuana grow operation, composition books chronicling the progress of the plants, and writings suggesting multiple people were involved in the grow operation. Indicia of the marijuana operation were found upstairs as well, in Prince's living quarters. For example, one composition book, which contained notes about the marijuana operation, was found upstairs alongside copies of Prince's passport and driver's licenseand containers of marijuana were found in an upstairs freezer. Finally, the jury had the opportunity to match Prince's handwriting with notes in composition books found in the house. The government, without the aid of a handwriting expert, invited the jury to compare the way that the number four was written on Prince's ATF forms with the way it was sometimes written in the composition books found around the house. The government argued that Prince wrote the number with a distinct pennant shape (e.g., as it appears in Times New Roman font4), while his sons did not, and that this distinction should lead the jury to infer that Prince's handwriting appears inside the composition books. Such an inference would not have been improper. Ultimately, there is no doubt that a reasonable jury could have found Prince guilty of manufacturing marijuana plants. Prince owned the Newton house, he lived there, and he kept personal items there. Although the marijuana grow operation was in the basement, its odor permeated the house, and it was easily accessible by anyone who could open a simple child lock. Indicators of the grow operation abounded in the house. In sum, sufficient evidence supports the drug count.