Opinion ID: 3044861
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: December 20, 2011 Meeting with Cius and Gustama

Text: Agent Connors called Cius on December 20, 2011 and arranged to meet him later that afternoon in the parking lot of a Perkins restaurant off the Florida Turnpike.15 Agent Conners arrived first. Shortly thereafter, Cius arrived, accompanied by Gustama. Gustama was driving the car, and Cius was in the front 14 The December 17, 2011 conversation was recorded and played for the jury, and the district court admitted the recording as Government Exhibit (“GX”) 1A and the transcript as GX 1B. 15 The December 20, 2011 conversation was recorded and played for the jury, and the district court admitted the recording as GX 2A and the transcript as GX 2B. 8 Case: 12-13474 Date Filed: 02/14/2014 Page: 9 of 58 passenger seat. Agent Connors entered their car and sat in the rear passenger seat. 16 Agent Connors told Cius and Gustama that he had a trucking company, and that once a month for the past year, he had worked as a courier for a Mexican drug trafficking organization, picking up “one or two bricks”17 a month from various houses and transporting the bricks “up north.” Agent Connors told them that 15 to 20 kilograms of cocaine were always in the house. He explained that he was usually the first courier to arrive at the house, and that after he picked up his two kilograms of cocaine, the remainder of the cocaine would still be there. Agent Connors told Cius and Gustama that he was upset because the drug traffickers had not paid him what they had promised, and he was “looking for, you know, a crew to knock them off.” Agent Connors stated that he wanted five kilograms of cocaine as his share from the robbery. Agent Connors added that he had never seen money in the stash houses, “just coke.” Cius asked Agent Connors to confirm the quantity of cocaine, and Agent Connors repeated, “15 to 20.” Gustama asked, “Where’s it at though?” to which Agent Connors answered that the stash houses’ locations changed from month to month. Agent Connors told them that the drug traffickers used different vacant houses with lock boxes on 16 The conversation inside the car was recorded and played for the jury. The district court admitted the recording as GX 3A and the transcript as GX 3B. 17 “Bricks” is a slang term for kilograms of cocaine. 9 Case: 12-13474 Date Filed: 02/14/2014 Page: 10 of 58 the doors. Agent Connors explained that although the location of the houses changed, the cocaine was always guarded by the same two men, Carlos and Richie. Agent Connors told Cius and Gustama that he usually received a phone call from the drug traffickers around 7:00 p.m. or 8:00 p.m. with the address of the house where he was to pick up the cocaine. Gustama asked if anyone would be inside the house, and Agent Connors replied that Carlos and Richie would be inside, and warned that “they’re always strapped,” meaning that the guards were armed with guns. Cius asked Agent Connors, “How can we get to the, um, them bricks?” Agent Connors replied that the bricks of cocaine were “just out there.” Cius asked whether the guards ever left the cocaine “at the house alone.” Agent Connors replied that the guards left the house only after all of the cocaine had been picked up by the other couriers. Gustama asked whether the guards were “always strapped?” Agent Connors replied: “Yeah. The same two guys. I don’t know if this is something y’all can do or not or if it ain’t, you know, just uh, you know, we never met and just leave it at that.” Cius replied, “I don’t know. I don’t know.” Gustama explained: “We don’t want to do that for nothing, you feel me. We don’t want to do all that for nothing.” Agent Connors told Cius and Gustama that the drug traffickers “wouldn’t call if the dope wasn’t in there because the only reason they call me is to pick the [cocaine] up to put in my truck.” Gustama asked 10 Case: 12-13474 Date Filed: 02/14/2014 Page: 11 of 58 whether they could “get the bricks without them knowing,” and Agent Connors told him, “You got to [expletive deleted] rob them, bro” and “you got to tie me up or whatever.” By saying this, Agent Connors wanted to make it clear that he was looking for a crew to conduct an armed robbery, because the purpose of the sting operation was to identify violent home invasion robbers. Agent Connors told them: “I ain’t gonna shoot you all or whatever. But whatever they do is on them. I mean, if you don’t know how to do this [expletive deleted] then, you know, take care of business the way you normally would. I don’t care.” Gustama replied, “I see what you’re saying.” Agent Connors reiterated that the “bricks” were “always wrapped up tight” and that the two guards would be armed with “pistols.” He said that they would not have to “go looking through the house” for the cocaine because “it’s right there.” Gustama asked, “Where’s it at?” and Agent Connors replied, “It’s always on the first floor.” Cius and Gustama then asked about other ways to steal the cocaine (“We can’t hit somebody he sell it to or something?” and “How about when it’s coming in?”). Agent Connors explained that he had no idea where the cocaine would be located until he received the call with the address of the stash house: Connors: So as soon as I get the address, you can all go ahead of me, take a look at it so you can, you know, check it out first or whatever. You go in behind me, I mean you got to, you know – if it’s even something you can handle, you know. 11 Case: 12-13474 Date Filed: 02/14/2014 Page: 12 of 58 Gustama: Yeah, we’ll do that. Connors: I mean, how many people you think you need to do that? Cius: About three people really. Connors: Just – just make sure if you do, just keep this tight, dog, you know. Don’t be putting this out to everybody. Cius: No. Connors: You got to pick people that got the heart. Because you know like– you know like I do, man, when [expletive deleted] gets to flying, you know, you got to make sure you got the right people, you know. I ain’t telling you how y’all do your business. Cius: We do this, man. Agent Connors told Cius and Gustama that they could “talk about it” and get back to him “in like a week.” Agent Connors emphasized that he wanted to receive a share of five kilograms. The December 20, 2012 meeting between Agent Connors, Cius and Gustama concluded this way: Cius: So you don’t know when they’re gonna call you? Connors: It will be a couple weeks. It’s every, like three to four weeks. Once a month is basically what it works out to. So I just did one a week ago. Cius: I got your number though. I’m a save your number, you feel me. Connors: Yeah. Cius: I’m a give you a holler. 12 Case: 12-13474 Date Filed: 02/14/2014 Page: 13 of 58 Connors: You think you can handle it? Cius: Yeah. Gustama: Yeah. Connors: All right, man. Keep it tight. Like I said, it’s a guaranteed thing. By “guaranteed thing,” Agent Connors was expressing his certainty that there would be 15 to 20 kilograms of cocaine in the house. At the end of the meeting, Cius repeated that he would give Agent Connors a call. c. December 26, 2011 and December 28, 2011 Text Messages to Cius On December 26, 2011, Agent Connors sent Cius a text message asking him if he was going to be able to handle the job they had talked about. Cius responded affirmatively and asked when it would occur. Agent Connors replied that it would probably be the following week and asked if he wanted to meet again “sometime this week.” Cius responded: “OK let me knw wen u ready 2 meet up wit me!!” On December 28, 2011, Agent Connors sent Cius a text message to set up a meeting that day in the same location where they had met before. Cius agreed to meet Agent Connors that afternoon, but later sent text messages to say he was running late. Agent Connors sent Cius a text message asking him if he was going to handle the job, and if not, to let him know so that he could find another crew to do the robbery. Agent Connors explained that his intent in sending Cius that 13 Case: 12-13474 Date Filed: 02/14/2014 Page: 14 of 58 message was to give him an opportunity to back out of the plan. Cius did not respond to that message. The meeting planned for the afternoon of December 28, 2011 did not occur. d. December 30, 2011 Text Message and Meeting With Cius and Gustama On December 30, 2011, Cius sent Agent Connors a text message, with the greeting, “Wuz up bozzman?” Agent Connors replied, “U tell me. U gonna get wit me on this?” and added that he was at the meeting “spot.” Cius replied that he was on his way. Cius, Gustama, and Agent Connors met at the parking lot outside the Perkins restaurant near the Turnpike. 18 At the beginning of the meeting, Cius told Agent Connors, “We’ve been waiting on you.” Agent Connors replied, “I just got the feeling, like, you didn’t tell me last time whether you were going to be able to handle it.” Cius assured him: “We got the people. I got everything. We’ve been waiting on you.” Agent Connors told them that he expected the next delivery to be “in the next week.” Gustama asked where the stash house would be located, and Agent Connors told him that he would not know the address of the house until the night of the robbery. Gustama confirmed with Agent Connors that there would only be “two people in the house,” and Cius confirmed that “they’re both going to be 18 The conversation was recorded and played for the jury. The district court admitted the recording as GX 4A and the transcript as GX 4B. 14 Case: 12-13474 Date Filed: 02/14/2014 Page: 15 of 58 downstairs.” Gustama asked Agent Connors if there would be anybody else “watching the house.” Agent Connors told them that the 15 to 20 kilograms of cocaine would already be “bricked up and wrapped up,” and Gustama commented, “We gotta bring a bag.” Agent Connors reiterated that they had to make it appear that he was not involved: “You got to bust me up. I can’t look like I was involved at all. Tie me up, just like leave it a little loose so I can get out.” Agent Connors warned again that he could not control how the two guards inside the house would respond. Gustama asked Agent Connors what he knew about the guards’ behavior and “moves,” and Agent Connors replied that “usually everything is relaxed because they expect me.” Cius and Gustama told Agent Connors that they were ready: Cius: We ready, dog. We just waiting for the day, dog, you feel me. Gustama: Yeah, dog. Connors: I mean, you got the fire to take care of it? Cius: Yeah. Gustama told Agent Connors that he wanted to know how many people were in the house before they went in, and Agent Connors proposed that they could wait outside, and he would send them a text message with the number of people inside. Agent Connors offered to rent a car for them to use as a getaway car, and he would 15 Case: 12-13474 Date Filed: 02/14/2014 Page: 16 of 58 report it as stolen the next day. 19 Cius asked Agent Connors if he could “get him any cheap rental cars,” and Agent Connors responded, “You’re gonna have enough money you could buy as many cars as you want.” Agent Connors asked how many people they thought they would need to commit the robbery, and Gustama replied, “[T]hree, four. Four the most, but three.” Agent Connors said that he needed to pick up the cocaine within 15 or 20 minutes after he received the call with the address of the stash house or the guards would become “suspicious” and “paranoid.” Cius assured Agent Connors, “We’ll handle that though. We just – we ready for the day, dog [unintelligible], you feel me.” Gustama also confirmed, “We ready when you ready. Put it like that.” Agent Connors reminded Cius and Gustama that he wanted to receive his share of five kilograms of the cocaine, and if there were more than 20 kilograms, “maybe we’ll work something else out.” Agent Connors warned them not to “put too much out right away, just in case,” and Gustama assured him, “Yeah, yeah. We know how to handle that.” Cius told Agent Connors: “Whenever you get the call, just let me know.” Gustama added: “I’m ready, man. Totally ready, man.” At the 19 At trial, Agent Connors explained the reason for offering a rental car: “Based on our experience conducting these sting operations, we put that in place to safeguard the public because in our experience when these individuals come to show up for the last meeting, we have had instances where they have stolen a car and then arrived at the meeting in a stolen car. So we do that as an extra measure to protect the public. So we provide the rental car. And it also provides an opportunity for us to give a reason for them to come to the warehouse, to control the setting.” 16 Case: 12-13474 Date Filed: 02/14/2014 Page: 17 of 58 end of the meeting, Cius confirmed that he wanted Agent Connors to get the rental car for them. e. January 4, 2012 and January 6, 2012 Text Messages On January 4, 2012, Agent Connors sent Cius a text message letting him know that he had not yet received a phone call from the drug traffickers about when the cocaine would arrive. On January 6, 2012, Agent Connors sent Cius another text message telling him that he had “some new info,” meaning that he had the date when the cocaine would arrive, and asking if they could meet at the same “spot.” Cius did not reply until two days later, when on January 8, 2012, he sent Agent Connors a text message, telling him that he had been out of town, but that he could meet that day. f. January 8, 2012 Meeting With Cius and Gustama Cius, Gustama, and Agent Connors met on Sunday, January 8, 2012, at a gas station next to the parking lot of the Perkins restaurant. 20 Agent Connors told Cius and Gustama that the next delivery of cocaine would arrive Wednesday, January 11, 2012. They agreed to meet that day at 6:00 p.m. at the shop where Agent Connors kept his truck. The “shop” was actually an ATF undercover warehouse equipped with recording devices. Agent Connors told Cius and Gustama that he would have the rental car at the warehouse so that they would not have to use their 20 The January 8, 2012 meeting was recorded and played for the jury. The district court admitted the recording as GX 5A and the transcript as GX 5B. 17 Case: 12-13474 Date Filed: 02/14/2014 Page: 18 of 58 own car for the robbery. Agent Connors said he would send a text message on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 to confirm the plan and provide directions on where to meet him. On January 10, 2012, Agent Connors sent Cius a text message stating “all good for tomorrow” and making a plan to meet at 6:30 p.m. the following night. g. January 11, 2012 Text Messages and Meeting With Cius, Gustama, Isnadin, and McKnight On January 11, 2012, Cius sent Agent Connors a text message asking about the rental car. Agent Connors responded that he would be picking up the rental car “in a few.” Cius asked Agent Connors if he could pick up the rental car “now” so that they could apply tint to the car windows. Agent Connors replied that he could bring the tint with him to the warehouse, and that if they arrived by 6:30 p.m., they would have time to apply the tint to the windows before they received the call from the drug traffickers about the location of the stash house. Cius agreed, but asked if Agent Connors would pick up the tint. He also asked Agent Connors to make sure he rented a “fast car.” Agent Connors agreed. Later, Cius sent Agent Connors a text message asking if he had picked up the rental car because he was ready to leave for the warehouse. Cius again asked if it was a “fast car,” and Agent Connors replied that it was. Agent Connors directed Cius to meet him at a gas station. Cius, accompanied by Isnadin and McKnight, 18 Case: 12-13474 Date Filed: 02/14/2014 Page: 19 of 58 arrived at the gas station in a Dodge Charger driven by Gustama. From the gas station, the four men followed Agent Connors to the warehouse. When they arrived at the warehouse, Cius, Gustama, Isnadin, and McKnight got out of their car and followed Agent Connors inside the building to a conference room. The four men were wearing dark clothing, and Gustama, Isnadin, and McKnight were also wearing gloves. McKnight questioned Agent Connors about what the house would look like, which indicated to Agent Connors that the others had already briefed him on the plan. 21 Because this was the first time that Agent Connors had met Isnadin and McKnight, he specifically reviewed the scenario with them. Agent Connors warned them that “Carlos and Richie, two Mexican dudes,” were “going to be strapped,” meaning armed with handguns, and that the robbery had to appear like he was not involved. Gustama reminded Agent Connors to send them a text message about how many people were inside the house. Agent Connors asked whether everybody was going to enter the house, and Gustama responded, “We got that. Don’t worry about that. Just make sure the door open.” Gustama told Agent Connors that they would leave his share of the cocaine in the trunk of the rental car. Agent Connors asked if they had “enough fire and [expletive deleted] to handle” the job, meaning 21 The January 11, 2012 meeting was recorded and played for the jury. The recording made from the audio recording device on Agent Connors’ person was admitted as GX 6A, and the transcript of that recording was admitted as GX 6B. The recording made from the recording device inside the undercover location was admitted as GX 6C. 19 Case: 12-13474 Date Filed: 02/14/2014 Page: 20 of 58 did they have guns. Cius responded, “We got that, bro.” Isnadin said very little, but listened to everything that was being discussed. Agent Connors offered to show them the rental car, a Nissan Altima, so that they could begin to tint the windows. They all walked to the warehouse bay where the rental car was parked. To put everybody at ease, Agent Connors asked the men if they wanted something to drink while they waited for the call and offered them beer and water. While Agent Connors was out of the room to get the tint for the windows, Cius, Gustama, Isnadin, and McKnight high-fived and hugged each other. The four men then applied the tint to the windows of the rental car. Isnadin asked Agent Connors for some WD-40 oil to help with the application of the tint. Agent Connors left the bay and gave a pre-arranged signal to the members of the ATF Special Response Team, who were concealed in the warehouse area and poised to make the arrests.