Opinion ID: 585686
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Character and predisposition.

Text: 8 Lozoya points out that he has no prior criminal history of cocaine trafficking and emphasizes the fact that the government did not see him in possession of cocaine before, and did not find cocaine, cocaine records, or cocaine paraphernalia at his house when he was arrested. However, one may be predisposed to commit his first crime as much, if not more than, a chronic offender. Gordon, 844 F.2d at 1406. 9 However, Lozoya's claim about his lack of criminal history in cocaine trafficking is unfounded for several reasons. Initially, when Lozoya was introduced to DEA Agent Cordova, he told the agent that he had been in the cocaine business for several years; that he was seeking a new source of cocaine because he had just lost his major supplier of cocaine. 10 Second, throughout his dealings with Agent Cordova, Lozoya indicated that he was familiar with cocaine and its packaging. He never said that he did not know what he was doing in the cocaine business. Additionally, Lozoya told Agent Cordova that he had started in the cocaine business three to six years earlier by selling cocaine by the ounce. These conversations between Lozoya and the DEA Agents were recorded and admitted into evidence at trial. 11 Finally, during the sting operation, it was Lozoya who tested and was satisfied with the purity of the cocaine. He cut open one of the cocaine packages and proceeded to rub a small quantity of the cocaine on his gums. This method of checking for the purity of the cocaine belies Lozoya's claim that he was never involved in the cocaine business. 12