Opinion ID: 198984
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Statute of Limitations Argument Raised by Rios-Rios

Text: 124 Rios-Rios alleges that the evidence adduced at trial established his involvement in the drug conspiracy only in 1990-91, which is outside the statute of limitations period. Rios-Rios did not raise this argument before the trial court. Consequently, this argument is waived. See United States v. Barnett, 989 F.2d 546, 554 (1st Cir. 1993) (Issues not squarely raised in the district court will not be entertained on appeal.); United States v.Haggert, 980 F.2d 8, 10-11 (1st Cir. 1992) (collecting cases). 125 Even if this argument had been properly preserved for appeal, we see no merit in it. Martinez-Matta and Hidalgo-Melendez testified that Rios-Rios participated in the drug conspiracy while it operated at the Costa del Mar and Los Pinos mesas in 1990 and 1991. There is no evidence in the record that Rios-Rios subsequently withdrew from the conspiracy. Accordingly, this argument fails as a matter of law: 126 A mere cessation of activity in furtherance of a conspiracy does not constitute withdrawal. To withdraw, a conspirator must take some affirmative action either to defeat or disavow the purposes of the conspiracy. Typically, we have required evidence either of a full confession to authorities or a communication by the accused to his co-conspirators that he has abandoned the enterprise and its goals. 127 Munoz, 36 F.3d at 1234 (quotations and citations omitted). Since Rios-Rios did not withdraw from the conspiracy, the statute of limitations did not begin to run. See United States v. Rogers, 102 F.3d 641, 644 (1st Cir. 1996). 128