Opinion ID: 539182
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Gomez-Sanchez, Jaramaillo, and Heriberto Torrez

Text: 78 The basement of the farm was the hub of the manufacturing operation, where the cocaine was leached from charcoal and processed into cocaine hydrochloride. When the agents entered the farmhouse, Gomez-Sanchez, Jaramaillo, and Heriberto Torrez were found in the room of the basement used to convert cocaine base into cocaine hydrochloride. The hands, arms, and clothing of each of them were covered with charcoal dust. 79 Though Jaramaillo testified that he had arrived at the farm only that morning, knowing nothing of the unlawful operations, and had nothing to do with the operation, the jury was entitled to discredit this testimony. He said that he had been at the farm all day; yet he claimed he had heard nothing and had talked to no one. He testified that he had spent the entire day in the living room; yet he claimed he had not seen the contraband items lying in the open in that area. He stated that he had done nothing but watch television and had never been to the basement until the officers arrived; yet his hands, arms, and clothes were covered with charcoal dust when he was arrested moments after they arrived. Jaramaillo's testimony, which was scarcely credible, apparently was disbelieved by the jury, and we may not disturb that assessment. 80 Gomez-Sanchez did not testify at trial but relied on Jaramaillo's testimony that Gomez-Sanchez had arrived at the farm that afternoon of July 14 and that the two of them had remained in the living room the rest of the day. As discussed above, the jury plainly did not credit Jaramaillo's testimony. In addition, though Gomez-Sanchez too argued that he had not left the living room until he ran to the basement at the officers' knock at the door, Delgado testified that when arrested Gomez-Sanchez had charcoal dust not only on his hands, arms, and clothing, but even under his fingernails. 81 Heriberto Torrez's sufficiency challenge is frivolous. In addition to being found in the manufacturing area with his body and clothing covered with charcoal dust, he had received a shipment of chemicals in New York City that were later transported to the Johnnycake farm for use in manufacturing the cocaine. There was also evidence that his fingerprints were in the cocaine record books found at the farm, and that he was Villegas's partner in the pending purchase of another farm in the area that was being outfitted for use as a cocaine factory. 82 In sum, the proof showed far more than the mere presence of Gomez-Sanchez, Jaramaillo, and Heriberto Torrez in the farmhouse and was ample to support their convictions.