Opinion ID: 361916
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence to prove possession

Text: 34 Both Jackson and Porter challenge their convictions under Count Two of the indictment charging them with possession of heroin with intent to distribute. The government bears the burden of proving the elements of this offense beyond a reasonable doubt. In testing the sufficiency of the evidence 17 in this circumstantial evidence case, the trial judge was required to determine before submitting the case to the jury whether a reasonably minded jury must necessarily entertain a reasonable doubt as to appellant's guilt. United States v. Haggins, 545 F.2d 1009 (5th Cir. 1977). Examining the case in the light most favorable to the government, we agree with appellants that, as a matter of law, there was insufficient evidence of their guilt of the substantive offense to submit this charge to the jury. 35 The government introduced no evidence of appellants' actual possession of the heroin. Proof of actual possession is not necessary to sustain appellants' conviction, however, since constructive possession of a  controlled substance violates 21 U.S.C. § 841(a). United States v. Garza,531 F.2d 309 (5th Cir. 1976). Constructive possession need not be exclusive but may be shared by others, and such possession may be established by circumstantial as well as by direct evidence, Garza v. United States, 385 F.2d 899 (5th Cir. 1967), but neither presence in the area where the narcotic is discovered nor association with the person who does control the drug is sufficient to prove possession. United States v. Stephenson, 474 F.2d 1353 (5th Cir. 1973). To establish constructive possession the government had to prove appellants' dominion and control over the drug. Garza v. United States, supra; United States v. Mendoza, 433 F.2d 891 (5th Cir. 1976). Acknowledging the ambiguity of the word possession and mindful that a charge of constructive possession should be viewed critically and approached with some caution, United States v. Phillips, 496 F.2d 1395, 1397 (5th Cir. 1974), Cert. denied, 422 U.S. 1056, 95 S.Ct. 2680, 45 L.Ed.2d 709 (1975), we are unable to find any evidence in the record establishing appellants' dominion and control over the heroin. The conversations overheard by the narcotics agents suggested criminal activity and indicated that a conspiracy was afoot. Although several of these conversations made reference to an impending shipment from Los Angeles and to a suitcase at the airport, they are alone insufficient to prove appellants' possession of the contraband. The heroin was at all times located in Miss Johnson's unclaimed suitcase at the airport. Miss Johnson was not indicted as a coconspirator nor did the government suspect her of any wrongdoing. She testified that she never gave Porter the claim check for her luggage. Although appellants' perambulations at the airport took them very near the suitcase, at no point did either appellant attempt to claim the luggage from the airline officials. Moreover, when Porter and Jackson were arrested at the airport no claim check was found on either appellant, and, as one of the agents testified, without the claim check the airline baggage officials would not release the baggage. Considering all of the circumstances, we think that a reasonably minded jury could not have found that the evidence excluded every reasonable hypothesis of appellants' innocence of the crime of possession. Consequently, this part of the government's case should not have been submitted to the jury. 36 AFFIRMED in part and REVERSED in part.