Opinion ID: 443000
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Conspiratorial Event

Text: 2 On August 4, 1984, not long after sundown, Texas law enforcement officials raided a small ranch in Dallas. The ranch belonged to members of Mojica's family. The officials arrested several persons, including Steve Mojica, and seized a number of vehicles. Among the vehicles was Mojica's white panel van. The officers also confiscated a tractor and semitrailer. The rig contained several thousand pounds of marihuana, which the government alleged the conspirators had transported from Mexico. 3 Testimony as to Mojica's awareness of the semi rig and its cargo conflicted at trial. Mojica stated that he finished work at 5:30 that afternoon and arrived at the ranch half an hour later. He expected a cookout and brought two cases of beer for consumption at the event. Upon reaching the property, he parked his white van, which he used in his work delivering magazines, near the only house on the ranch. At no time that day did he see the semi rig. Given his asserted parking location, the house obscured the tractor/trailer from his view. He denied knowing about the rig or its contents. 4 The testimony of a witness for the government contradicted parts of Mojica's story. Danny Lewis, an investigator with the Texas Department of Public Safety Narcotics Service, stated that he and other officers had staked out the premises for several hours immediately before the raid. He saw Mojica twice; one sighting occurred at 4:30 that afternoon, well before the time at which Mojica said he arrived. Lewis observed no indicia of a cookout in progress. He did not, however, testify specifically as to the location of Mojica's white van. 5 The government's testimonial evidence thus did not establish clearly Mojica's knowledge of the marihuana. We assume without deciding that without further admissible evidence of such knowledge the jury would have had insufficient evidence to convict Mojica of participating in the conspiracy. 3 Disposition of this appeal, therefore, turns on the admissibility of a photograph that depicts Mojica's white van beside the semi rig. 4 If admissible to show the juxtaposition of the van and rig, the photograph tends to destroy Mojica's claim that he knew nothing of the marihuana and thus did not join the conspiracy.