Opinion ID: 691683
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Marijuana Amounts

Text: 27 Defendants contend that the sentencing court erred in its determination of the amount of marijuana that they could have reasonably foreseen being sold through the conspiracy. We review a district court's conclusion regarding the quantity of drugs for which a defendant may be held accountable under the clearly erroneous standard. United States v. Jenkins, 4 F.3d 1338, 1345-46 (6th Cir.1993), cert. denied, 114 S.Ct. 1547 (1994). 28 We are unable to perform our review in this case because the district court neglected to express the factual underpinnings for its conclusion regarding the amount of marijuana for which each defendant could be held accountable. The district court stated conclusions on this issue without stating findings of fact upon which those conclusions rest. 29 The absence of express findings of fact is particularly problematic with respect to Mike Cantu. The sentencing court stated that it excluded from its calculation 2000 kilograms of marijuana to which Mike Cantu alluded during plea negotiations. That being so, an entirely plausible interpretation of the district court's statements at the sentencing hearing is that, after subtracting amounts that could not be properly considered, Mike Cantu could only be held accountable for 650 kilograms of marijuana. 30 The record contains ample evidence from which we could make factual determinations upon which we might well reach the conclusions that the district court reached. Without express findings of fact, however, we cannot determine that the district court did not clearly err in reaching its conclusions. Accordingly, while we express no view on the correctness of the district court's conclusions, we remand for further findings regarding the specific amounts of marijuana that the district court considered in reaching its conclusions regarding the amount for which each defendant could be held accountable.