Opinion ID: 39986
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Quantities of Cocaine

Text: 5 The substantial assistance to authorities departure guideline provides a non-exhaustive list of factors that a sentencing court should consider when applying 5K1.1. These factors are: (1) the court’s evaluation of the significance and usefulness of the defendant’s assistance; (2) the truthfulness of information provided by the defendant; (2) the nature and extent of the defendant’s assistance; (4) any injury suffered, or any danger faced by the defendant; (5) the timeliness of the defendant’s assistance. U.S.S.G. § 5K1.1. 9 In any event, even if the consideration for sentencing purposes of more cocaine than the 50 kilograms involved in count two cannot be considered harmless, Burke would still lose. The sentencing guidelines provide that “[t]ypes and quantities of drugs not specified in the count of conviction may be considered in determining the offense level.” U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1 comment n.12; U.S.S.G. § 1B1.3(a)(2) (relevant conduct). An applicable comment to the guidelines gives the following example: “For example, where the defendant engaged in three drug sales of 10, 15, and 20 grams of cocaine, as part of the same course of conduct or common scheme or plan, subsection (a)(2) provides that the total quantity of cocaine involved (45 grams) is to be used to determine the offense level even if the defendant is convicted of a single count charging only one of the sales.” U.S.S.G. § 1B1.3 Commentary, Application Note 3. Following that example, this court held that although a defendant pleaded guilty to charge specifying only 20 lbs of marihuana, the drug quantity at sentencing should include the actual amount involved in the entire conspiracy. United States v. Warters, 885 F.2d 1266, 1273 (5th Cir. 1989) (“[T]he district court is not limited by the quantity of drugs mentioned in the charging instrument.”). Accordingly, the district court did not err by considering the entire 350 kilograms of cocaine that Burke admitted to as part of his drug conspiracy, even though 300 of those kilograms were related to dismissed counts.