Opinion ID: 754615
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Was There A Sufficient Nexus?

Text: 32 There is sufficient nexus where an attempted transaction is aimed at causing criminal acts within the United States. Davis, 905 F.2d at 249 (quoting Peterson, 812 F.2d at 493). More specifically, there is sufficient nexus where the plan for shipping the drugs was likely to have effects in the United States. Khan, 35 F.3d at 429. 33 We have found nexus when narcotics were destined for the United States. We have based such a decision upon the location of the vessel when it was seized, Davis, 905 F.2d at 249, and upon testimony about the narcotics' destination, Khan, 35 F.3d at 429-30; United States v. Aikins, 946 F.2d 608, 613-14 (9th Cir.1990). The nature of the United States narcotics market is also relevant in determining nexus. United States v. Wright-Barker, 784 F.2d 161, 169-70 (3rd Cir.1986) (deciding that a ship seized 200 miles from the New Jersey coast was headed for the United States rather than Canada). 34 In the present case, the district court found that the cocaine seized on board the Nataly I was destined for the United States. The court based this determination upon evidence that (1) markings on the cocaine matched the markings on cocaine that had been seized in the United States, (2) the United States was the most likely destination for such a large load of cocaine, and (3) the location of the ship and the kind of navigational maps on board were consistent with the cocaine being bound for the United States. 35 We agree with the district court's assessment of the evidence and its holding. The most persuasive evidence concerns the distinctive markings imprinted onto the bricks of cocaine and printed on the cocaine packages. These same markings are contained within a database the DEA established in 1983 to track cocaine. Thirty to forty countries have contributed to this database. 36 The information in the database showed that the markings on the cocaine seized aboard the Nataly I were identical to markings on cocaine that had been seized predominately in the United States. Five of the markings had been found only on cocaine seized in the United States. The five other markings that the DEA analyzed had been found predominately on cocaine seized in the United States and in countries involved in the shipment of the cocaine, such as Columbia, Panama and Mexico. In each case, there was only one country other than the United States that could have been the destination for the cocaine. Additionally, three sets of the markings have been found together in seizures in the United States. 37 The appellants point out that the database is not complete, because there is no data on cocaine that is not seized, on seizures that are not reported, or on cocaine which has no markings. However, the cumulative weight of the data lends strong support to the district court's conclusion that the drugs were destined for the United States. 38 In addition, twelve tons of cocaine were seized. A DEA analyst testified that the United States is the only country that could absorb such a large shipment. The United States is the largest consumer of cocaine, consuming approximately two-thirds of the world's supply. Even more importantly, the distribution of such a large quantity of cocaine requires an extensive, well-established smuggling system such as is in place in the United States. 39 The appellants argue that the drugs could have been bound for Russia or shipped through Russia to Europe, where cocaine prices are higher than the United States. As the DEA analyst explained, however, this scenario is unlikely. While cocaine consumption in Europe and Russia is on the rise, neither approaches the level of consumption in the United States. Further, the infrastructure in those places is not sophisticated enough to handle such a large shipment. 40 Also of significance is the fact that the Nataly I contained sixty navigational maps, which covered the South American coasts, the eastern Pacific, the southeast Caribbean, Central America, portions of the United States, and Sicily. The fact that there were no navigational maps covering Asia, the western Pacific or the mid-Atlantic supports the conclusion that the cocaine was not destined for Russia or Europe. 41 Finally, the Nataly I's location and its condition are consistent with its use as a mother ship in a scheme to transport cocaine into the United States. The Colombian cartel uses mother ships to transport cocaine out to sea where the cocaine is then loaded onto smaller vessels which land the cocaine, usually into Mexico. The cocaine is then smuggled into the United States. With twelve tons of cocaine on board, the Nataly I was obviously a mother ship. Its location off the Galapagos Islands, when it was ill-equipped for fishing, together with the other circumstances mentioned above, support the district court's conclusion that the cocaine was destined for the United States. This provides a sufficient nexus between the defendants' activities and the United States to satisfy the nexus requirement.