Opinion ID: 678538
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Possession Charge

Text: 20 Secondly, defendant Rivera argues that the evidence is insufficient to meet the burden of proof required to establish that he knowingly possessed cocaine with the intent to distribute. He argues that because the bucket was sealed, he never saw the contents and thus did not know he was delivering cocaine. To convict Rivera of possession with intent to distribute the seven kilograms of cocaine, the government had the burden of proving Rivera knowingly or intentionally possessed cocaine; possessed cocaine with the intent to distribute it; and knew the substance was a controlled substance. See 21 U.S.C. Sec. 841(a)(1). Olson, 978 F.2d at 1479 (quoting United States v. Troop, 890 F.2d 1393, 1398 (7th Cir.1989)). 21 The defendant misunderstands the standard of review on appeal for he claims that a reasonable inference is that Vaca used an unsuspecting individual to deliver the cocaine to the sale. Having been convicted by a jury of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, the issue on appeal is not whether the defendant's interpretation of the facts is reasonable, but whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 2789, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979). We are convinced that the evidence recited above that Vaca frequently called Rivera's business to determine the quantity of cocaine for sale, 9 that Rivera delivered the cocaine to the sale in a vehicle that conveniently happened to have stolen plates, that he cautiously looked from side to side before removing the cocaine from the trunk of the car, that he personally kept the $140,000 worth of cocaine in his possession until he felt confident it was safe to deliver it to the prearranged sale site, as well as the evidence of taped conversations and phone records, establishes beyond a reasonable doubt that Rivera knowingly and intentionally possessed seven kilos of cocaine with the intent to distribute. Thus, we affirm the judgment of conviction on Count II.