Opinion ID: 778825
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Transactions Per Day

Text: 32 The remaining two numbers plugged into the multiplier formula were 50 transactions per day and 1205 days. The district court adopted each of these estimates from the PSR, but halved the resulting approximation — the total quantity produced by multiplying the three factors — before designating a final drug quantity of 80 to 100 kilograms. In determining whether the 50-transactions-per-day and 1205 days estimates can be sustained, we take into consideration the district court's application of a 50% discount to account for evidence indicating that the government's estimate was excessive. We begin with the 50 transactions per day estimate. 33 We conclude that the estimation of 50 transactions per day was supported by sufficient and reliable information. Although the neighbors gave varying estimates of the numbers of cars in the neighborhood, much of the deviation can be explained by the neighbors' differing vantage points and schedules. Balch's estimate of 30 to 50 vehicles per night is not inconsistent with the testimony of Dorais and Broderson, each of whom observed a somewhat greater number of cars per day — 50 to 60 trips in the case of Dorais and 75 to 125 trips in the case of Broderson. Considering that Balch's testimony referred only to a portion of the day, and that the district court reasonably could have inferred that the higher estimates represented full-day activity, it was reasonable to adopt the 50 transactions per day figure. 34 Given the unusual circumstances of this case — in particular, the sparsely populated rural setting — the district court also reasonably relied on vehicular traffic in the neighborhood as a proxy for the number of marijuana transactions occurring at the Culps residence. The neighbors' testimony created an adequate link between the cars in the neighborhood and the Culps residence, and motorists' brief layovers at the Culps residence supported a reasonable inference that they were buying drugs. As all three witnesses agreed, the automotive traffic in the neighborhood slowed to a trickle after Culps and his brother were arrested. 35 The court's application of a 50% discount — a portion of which was allocated to uncertainties in the number of transactions per day — properly erred on the side of caution. The discount accounted for the margin of error in each neighbor's estimate and for the fact that not every prospective customer would have been successful. Narcotics officers attempting to purchase marijuana were unable to consummate controlled buys in one-quarter of their attempts. As the district court acknowledged, two of the neighbors also recalled seeing signs stating out of product, closed or sold out on some occasions.