Opinion ID: 393955
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Salares

Text: 12 Appellant Salares challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to support his conviction for conspiracy to possess marijuana with intent to distribute it. We are not troubled by the question of the existence of a conspiracy. There is adequate evidence that two or more persons were involved in a conspiracy to possess marijuana with intent to distribute it. 3 Our concern focuses on the question of Salares' knowledge of the conspiracy. 13 The evidence against Salares viewed in the light most favorable to the government is as follows: 14 (1) Salares left a van at Echol's shop for repair. The van contained equipment and a log book later identified as that of an airplane found to contain 15 bales of marijuana. 15 (2) When Salares picked up the van, he drove it to the residence at 3 Old Ferry Road in Shalimar, Florida. The van was backed up to the front door of the house for approximately an hour. 16 (3) Driving another vehicle, Salares then followed appellant Glasgow, who was driving the van, from 3 Old Ferry Road to a Ford dealership. 17 (4) A photograph of Salares and appellant Glasgow was found in the 3 Old Ferry Road residence when it was later searched. 4 18 From this evidence, the government would have the jury and this court infer that Salares was a knowing and willing participant in the conspiracy. Specifically, the government would have us infer the following: 19 (1) That Salares was aware of the contents of the rear of the van and that he knew those items were connected with the N237WT, the airplane used in the conspiracy; 20 (2) Alternatively or additionally, that during the time the van was backed up to the 3 Old Ferry Road residence Salares necessarily became aware of the conspiracy because he helped to unload the van, entered the house, and became aware of the eight bales of marijuana which were later found in the front bedroom during the course of the October 6, 1978, search of the 3 Old Ferry Road residence. 21 While it is certainly possible that Salares was aware of the connection between the items in the van and the airplane used in the conspiracy, and that he was present in the 3 Old Ferry Road house and became aware of the presence of marijuana in the house, we conclude that the jury must necessarily have entertained a reasonable doubt in this regard. Compare United States v. Littrell, 574 F.2d 828 (5th Cir. 1978), where we similarly held evidence insufficient to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt of conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute. In this case, the evidence against Salares is clearly susceptible to innocent interpretation. The following inferences of innocent activity can reasonably be drawn from Salares' behavior: 22 (1) That Salares was unaware of the contents of the rear of the van and/or of their connection to the plane involved in the conspiracy; 23 (2) That Salares never entered the 3 Old Ferry Road residence; and 24 (3) That even if he did enter the residence, he did not become aware of the conspiracy, either because he did not go into the same room where the marijuana was found or because the marijuana was not in the residence at the time Salares was present. 25 The government presented no evidence that would establish beyond a reasonable doubt that Salares was even aware of the contents of the rear of the van, much less of their connection to the conspiracy. On the contrary, the evidence showed that the rear of the van was blocked from the view of the driver, that there were no windows in the van, and that the doors of the van were closed. Similarly, the government failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Salares was ever inside the 3 Old Ferry Road address. No one saw him enter; no one saw him leave. No one saw him holding items from the van as if to carry them into the house. The government produced no evidence of fingerprints which would have placed Salares in the house. The photograph of Salares found inside the residence is not sufficient to establish Salares' knowledge of the marijuana in the house. 26 Even if we could assume that the evidence shows that Salares was in the house, the government has failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the eight bales of marijuana were also present in the house and that Salares was aware of their presence. The evidence shows that eight bales of marijuana were found during the search on October 6, 1978, in the same room with the items previously seen in the back of the van. If Salares had helped unload the items from the van directly into the bedroom and the marijuana was in that room at that time, then he would have become aware of it. But even if Salares had helped unload the van and even if he had entered the house with the items from the back of the van, he did not necessarily put them into the room with the marijuana. The record shows that the house had at least three bedrooms, a living room, a den area, a kitchen, and a hall. The items from the van could easily have been unloaded into a hallway, for example, and later put into the room with the marijuana by someone else. It is significant that the items in the van were not, by themselves, incriminating or calculated to arouse one's suspicion. 27 In addition, the evidence does not show beyond a reasonable doubt that the eight bales of marijuana were already present at the house at the time the unloading of the van presumably took place. From the time the van arrived at the house until the time of the search of the house, the house was under surveillance. However, the record indicates that there was tall shrubbery in front of the house so that one trying to see the entrance to the house would have to look through the entrance to the driveway. The record indicates further that cars were seen arriving at and leaving from the 3 Old Ferry Road address during the early morning hours, between 4 and 5 a. m. of October 6, 1978. These comings and goings thus took place after the van was apparently unloaded and before the search revealing the eight bales of marijuana occurred. The testimony of surveilling agents does not suggest that people were seen carrying bales of marijuana into the house during the predawn hours of October 6. On the other hand, that testimony does not exclude the possibility that the marijuana was taken into the house at that time. 28 While it is certainly possible that Salares was a knowing participant in the conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, the government has simply failed to prove his knowing participation in the conspiracy by substantial evidence. We conclude that the jury could not have reasonably found that the evidence was inconsistent with every reasonable hypothesis of innocence; a reasonably-minded jury must necessarily have entertained a reasonable doubt of Salares' guilt. Accordingly, we must reverse the denial of his motion for judgment of acquittal and direct entry of judgment of acquittal for appellant Salares.