Opinion ID: 3064963
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Felony Drug Offense

Text: Mincoff contends that the district court erred by doubling the minimum mandatory sentence on Counts 1 and 2 from ten to twenty years and on Counts 3 and 4 from four to eight years. The double penalties apply only if Mincoff’s 1990 conviction for possession of a listed chemical with intent to manufacture methamphetamine is a “felony drug offense.” “Federal law imposes a mandatory minimum sentence for certain crimes, but only if the defendant has a felony drug prior. In order to render defendant eligible for the mandatory minimum, the government must allege the prior conviction in an information pursuant to 21 U.S.C. § 851.” United States v. Severino, 316 F.3d 939, 941 (9th Cir. 2003) (en banc). “The term felony drug offense means an offense that is punishable by imprisonment for more than one year under any law of the United States or of a State or foreign country that prohibits or restricts conduct relating to narcotic drugs, marihuana, anabolic steroids, or depressant or stimulant substances.” 21 U.S.C. § 802(44) (internal quotation marks omitted).4 Ephe- 4 The United States Supreme Court recently determined that § 802(44) provides the exclusive definition of a “felony drug offense.” Burgess v. United States, 128 S.Ct. 1572, 1577 (2008). UNITED STATES v. MINCOFF 10007 drine can be used as a precursor chemical to manufacture methamphetamine. See United States v. Lo, 447 F.3d 1212, 1224 n.6 (9th Cir. 2006). Mincoff’s prior offense is a felony drug offense. On October 18, 1990, Mincoff was found guilty of possession of a listed chemical (ephedrine) with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(d)(1) and 802(34)(C). Mincoff was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment, but his sentence was reduced to 57 months. [19] The government filed an information and notice to seek enhanced penalties. As a result, Mincoff’s expert filed a declaration stating that ephedrine is not a narcotic drug, marihuana, anabolic steroid, or depressant or stimulant substance. However, methamphetamine falls within the definition of a stimulant substance as defined by 21 U.S.C. § 802(9)(B).5 See United States v. Ward, 63 F. Supp. 2d 1203, 1207 n.4 (C.D. Cal. 1999) (citation and internal quotation marks omitted); see also Metabolife International, Inc. v. Wornick, 264 F.3d 832, 849 (9th Cir. 2001) (recognizing ephedrine as a stimulant). Therefore, Mincoff’s possession of ephedrine was conduct relating to the stimulant substance of methamphetamine, resulting in a conviction qualifying as a felony drug offense. See United States v. Hollis, 490 F.3d 1149, 1157 (9th Cir. 2007) (“To determine whether a prior conviction qualifies as a drug trafficking offense, we look only to the fact of conviction and the statutory definition of the prior offense.”) (citation omitted). 5 “The term depressant or stimulant substance means . . . (B) a drug which contains any quantity of (i) amphetamine or any of its optical isomers; (ii) any salt of amphetamine or any salt of an optical isomer of amphetamine; or (iii) any substance which the Attorney General, after investigation, has found to be, and by regulation designated as, habit forming because of its stimulant effect on the central nervous system . . .” 21 U.S.C. § 802(9)(B) (internal quotation marks omitted). 10008 UNITED STATES v. MINCOFF