Opinion ID: 2996252
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Corral’s Relevant Drug Quantity

Text: Corral’s only argument is that the district court committed clear error when it determined that he was responsible for an additional five kilograms of cocaine, beyond the negotiated two kilograms. The court’s determination was based on a statement made by Corral and recorded by police, while Corral was negotiating a multi-kilogram purchase with the government’s informant. During those negotiations, Corral told the informant that he recently 6 Nos. 02-1493 & 02-1734 returned five kilograms of cocaine because the quality was poor and that he was expecting a replacement shipment soon. Corral now claims that this statement was merely puffing to bolster his bargaining position by showing his interest in quality control. By arguing that his statement constituted puffing, however, Corral has conceded that the statement was made as a part of his negotiations for a multi-kilogram purchase of cocaine with the government informant. Application Note 12 to USSG § 2D1.1 allows the sentencing court to consider “[t]ypes and quantities of drugs not specified in the count of conviction” and to approximate those quantities, when appropriate, in order to determine the proper offense level. USSG § 2D1.1, cmt. n.12 (2002). More specifically, Application Note 12 directs the court to consider negotiated quantities from an uncompleted drug transaction, unless “the defendant establishes that he or she did not intend to provide, or was not reasonably capable of providing,” the negotiated quantity. Id. We have interpreted this note to mean that negotiated quantities of undelivered drugs can be included so long as there was true negotiation and not idle talk. BonillaComacho, 121 F.3d at 291-92; United States v. Garcia, 69 F.3d 810, 820 (7th Cir. 1995). If a defendant exhibits the intent and ability to provide multi-kilogram quantities of narcotics, his statements constitute true negotiation and not idle talk. Bonilla-Comacho, 121 F.3d at 292. In Corral’s case, nothing in his statement indicates that he was merely bragging to increase his bargaining position. See id. (“Nothing in Bonilla’s statement indicates that he was bragging about something he could not accomplish or that he was trying to seem like a bigger drug operator than he really was.”). Prior to negotiating a multi-kilogram purchase, the informant had purchased several ounces of cocaine from Corral on multiple occaNos. 02-1493 & 02-1734 7 sions over several months. The two had established an ongoing, business relationship and Corral did not point to evidence demonstrating that the informant would look elsewhere for a supply of drugs, thereby revealing a need to puff about his prowess as a supplier. Corral simply made the statement concerning five kilograms in the midst of negotiations for a two kilogram purchase, revealing both his intent and ability to obtain multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine. Initially, it demonstrated that he had obtained large quantities in the past and had the ability to do so in the future. In fact, his ability to obtain a large quantity of drugs is corroborated by the fact that he was arrested in possession of one kilogram. Additionally, the government’s source informed police that Corral had been moving as much as three to five kilograms per month over a long period of time. Because police were not able to document fully the entirety of Corral’s trafficking, the district court did not sentence Corral based upon the quantity (no less than 60 kilograms) recommended in his PSR. We note, however, that the district court was free to consider how the informant’s statement further corroborated Corral’s intent and ability to deal in multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine. This Court has long relied on a defendant’s admissions to hold that defendant responsible for a certain quantity of drugs, and we see no reason why Corral’s admission should be treated differently. See United States v. Spiller, 261 F.3d 683, 691 (7th Cir. 2001) (holding the defendant responsible for dealing 28,000 grams of crack cocaine as evidenced by handwritten ledgers belonging to the defendant in which he recorded drug sales); United States v. Joiner, 183 F.3d 635, 640-41 (7th Cir. 1999) (holding that the district court did not clearly err by relying on the defendants’ own statements to determine the drug quantity for which the defendants were responsible); United States 8 Nos. 02-1493 & 02-1734 v. Jarrett, 133 F.3d 519, 530-31 (7th Cir. 1998) (affirming the district court’s sentence that relied on undercover buys as well as the defendants’ own admissions in recorded conversations regarding drug activities); United States v. Benitez, 92 F.3d 528, 538-39 (7th Cir. 1996) (noting the district court’s proper reliance on recorded conversations of the defendant to determine the quantity for which she was responsible); United States v. Ferguson, 35 F.3d 327, 333 (7th Cir. 1994) (finding no clear error where the district court determined the quantity for which the defendant was responsible based, in part, upon the defendant’s own admissions). Accordingly, we find that the district court did not commit clear error by holding Corral responsible for an additional five kilograms of cocaine in determining his proper offense level.