Opinion ID: 63259
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Arrest of Luna

Text: Moreman obtained information from a cooperating source that Luna wanted to purchase 210 kilograms of cocaine in Houston. Two undercover DEA agents met with Luna in the parking lot of a restaurant. While in Luna's vehicle, Agent Felix Gonzalez observed a large amount of cash in a partially opened bag. After agreeing to contact each other in the future regarding the drug transaction, the agents followed Luna from the restaurant to his home (the High Manor residence), where a search uncovered forty kilograms of cocaine, drug ledgers, and a cell phone. The district court denied Luna's motion to suppress the evidence discovered at Luna's home on June 25, 2004, concluding that exigent circumstances justified the warrantless entry and that Luna gave a voluntary oral and written consent to search. The constitutional validity of that search is not before us in this appeal. According to Moreman, Luna's drug ledgers contained several entries for a man named Gorro. The total amount associated with Gorro was 132 kilograms of cocaine. The name Gorro was also found in Luna's cell phone, and the agents later determined through subpoenaed phone records that Gorro's subscriber number (the 4886 number) belonged to Rivera. Unlike the phone records for the 6323 and the 9418 number, the phone records for the 4886 number identified the name of the individual subscriber. [1] The DEA initiated surveillance at Rivera's residence on Miramar Shores. Based on the information obtained from the search of Luna's residence, the agents suspected that Rivera was distributing cocaine in Houston. Luna pled guilty and testified against Zavala at trial. He testified that he distributed cocaine in Houston and that Pompa transported money to Luna's boss, Daniel Elizondo, in Mexico. Luna recorded information regarding his drug transactions in a ledger, and he always used nicknames for the parties involved. He explained that Rivera's nickname was Gorro and that Zavala's nickname was Nejo. According to Luna, his cell phone contained an entry for Nejo. Only Luna, Pompa, and Elizondo knew Zavala by that nickname. Luna testified that Zavala purchased cocaine from him on several occasions. Luna acknowledged that he never referred to Zavala by name in his drug ledger or in the factual basis of his plea agreement. Thus, Luna's first public disclosure of the identity of Nejo was at Zavala's trial. On cross examination, Zavala attacked Luna's credibility and argued that Luna identified Zavala as Nejo in order to obtain a lesser sentence.