Opinion ID: 2995593
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Attribution of drug quantity at

Text: sentencing (sec. 2D1.1(a)(3)) At sentencing, the district court attributed five kilograms of cocaine to Thompson for his participation in the conspiracy under U.S.S.G. sec. 2D1.1(a)(3). It based its conclusion on the fact that Thompson was involved in the conspiracy for a significant period of time, and [ ] the logical conclusion [from that] is that he was personally in receipt of the kilogram of cocaine more than once. It is not clear from the record what kilogram the district court is referring to in its ruling. Maybe the court meant to say 0.5 kilograms; there was evidence that Thompson received 0.5 kilos of cocaine from coconspirator Keith Cork on more than one occasion. From the face of its ruling, however, we cannot tell. The usual recourse in this situation is to remand for the district court to make more explicit findings, see United States v. Mojica, 984 F.2d 1426, 1445 (7th Cir. 1993), but that is not necessary here. We can affirm despite the court’s insufficient findings unless Thompson can make a colorable argument that there is no adequate basis in the record to support the attribution. See id. Thompson cannot make a colorable argument against attribution. The conspiracy trafficked in well over five kilos of cocaine and whatever portion of this amount that was reasonably foreseeable to Thompson is attributable to him as relevant conduct. See United States v. Strauser, 21 F.3d 194, 196-97 (7th Cir. 1994); U.S.S.G. sec. 1B1.3(a). The district court’s finding that Thompson was involved in the conspiracy for a significant period of time sufficiently supports the conclusion that at least five kilos of the conspiracy’s total was foreseeable to him. The court’s finding is further supported by the evidence that he waited along with several coconspirators for cocaine shipments of 25 to 30 kilos on more than one occasion. Thompson has not argued that his coconspirators’ quantities were not foreseeable to him, therefore, the district court’s attribution of five kilos to Thompson at sentencing was not error. See Mojica, 984 F.2d at 1445 (affirming attribution of 6.5 kilos based primarily on evidence that defendant participated in the delivery of an amount representing about 20 percent of the total quantity attributable to the conspiracy).