Opinion ID: 14713
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Sufficiency of the evidence linking the

Text: substantive drug offenses to the conspiracy As an initial matter, we note that Garcia Abrego does not contest that sufficient evidence exists to prove that the substantive drug offenses alleged were committed by someone; rather he alleges that the evidence was insufficient to link the offenses to him. We conclude that sufficient evidence existed for the jury to conclude that each of the substantive drug 26 offenses was committed by one or more of Garcia Abrego’s coconspirators in furtherance of the conspiracy. Count 3 of the indictment was based upon the seizure of 825 kilograms of cocaine at the Sarita, Texas border patrol checkpoint on March 14, 1989. The cocaine was discovered in a secret compartment in an 18-wheeler driven by Raciel Garcia Contreras and also occupied by Juan David Garcia. Jaime Rivas testified that he informed Medrano about the load of cocaine lost at the Sarita checkpoint and that Medrano instructed Malherbe to tell “El Señor” about the lost load. At this point, Medrano informed Rivas that Garcia Abrego was the boss and that he had to be told about the seizure. From this evidence, the jury could reasonably conclude that the drug offense described in count 3 was committed by Garcia Abrego’s coconspirators in furtherance of the conspiracy. Count 4 was based upon the seizure of 291 kilograms of cocaine from a Tioga motor home driven by William Hoffman in Queens, New York on May 3, 1989. Hoffman testified that he purchased the motor home at the direction of Medrano and that Medrano instructed him to take the motor home to Grand Prairie, Texas to have a false bottom put in it. Hoffman also testified that the seized cocaine was loaded into the motor home under the supervision of Hilario Gonzalez and at the direction of Elias “El Profe” Garcia. From this evidence, the jury could reasonably conclude that the drug offense described in count 4 was committed 27 by Garcia Abrego’s coconspirators in furtherance of the conspiracy. Count 5 of the indictment was based in part upon the seizure of 415 kilograms of cocaine from the residence of Frederico Munguia on Krenek Road in Houston, Texas on August 28, 1989. Carlos Rodriguez testified that Munguia transported cocaine for the drug organization with which he, Garcia Abrego, Medrano, and Malherbe were involved. Additionally, Rivas testified that, on August 29, 1989, he contacted Medrano and told him that the cocaine that he had delivered to Munguia the previous evening had been seized. According to Rivas, Medrano then instructed him to contact Munguia in San Antonio and have him come to Houston. Based upon this evidence, the jury could reasonably conclude that the drug offense charged in count 5 was committed by Garcia Abrego’s coconspirators in furtherance of the conspiracy. Count 6 was based upon the seizure of twenty kilograms of cocaine from a mustang driven by Emilio Rivera as he left the residence of Hilario Gonzalez’s father-in-law on Arrowrock Road in Houston and 160 kilograms of cocaine seized from the residence itself on September 18, 1989. Rivas testified that Gonzalez used the Arrowrock residence to store cocaine that Rivas delivered to him in Houston. Additionally, Rivas testified that Medrano informed him of the seizure of cocaine at the Arrowrock residence. From this evidence, the jury could reasonably conclude that the drug offense charged in count 6 was committed 28 by Garcia Abrego’s coconspirators in furtherance of the conspiracy. Count 7 was based upon the seizure of 645 kilograms of cocaine from a residence on Ridgeside Street in North Houston. FBI agents testified that, prior to the seizure, they were conducting surveillance at Bonnie’s Nursery, a nursery near Humble, Texas on September 22, 1989. The agents observed a large white refrigerator truck and a van. The agents testified that several individuals were taking items out of the truck and placing them in the van. The vehicles departed. Subsequently, FBI agents had local law enforcement officials stop the truck, and the driver was identified as Jaime Rivas. The van drove to the Ridgeside residence and backed up to the residence’s garage. An FBI agent walked by the residence and overheard the sound of heavy objects being dropped and dragged across the floor of the garage. A later search of the residence uncovered 645 kilograms of cocaine in military-style duffle bags of a type similar to duffle bags found by the FBI at Bonnie’s Nursery. Rivas testified that he was subsequently informed of the seizure by Elias “El Profe” Ruiz. From this evidence, the jury could reasonably conclude that the drug offense described in count 7 was committed by Garcia Abrego’s coconspirators in furtherance of the conspiracy. Count 8 was based upon the seizure of approximately 9 tons of cocaine from a residence on Bass Boulevard near Harlingen, Texas on October 4, 1989. Rivas testified that he moved between 29 30,000 and 40,000 kilograms of cocaine through the Bass Boulevard location. Law enforcement officials also seized ledgers at the Bass Boulevard residence indicating that cocaine had been shipped from the location on August 28, 1989, the same date as the seizure of cocaine at Krenek Road, and indicating that 645 kilograms of cocaine had been shipped at some point prior to September 29, 1989, which coincided with the size and date of the shipment seized from the Ridgeside residence on September 22, 1989. Francisco Perez testified that he showed Garcia Abrego a newspaper article reporting the Bass Boulevard seizure and that, in response, Garcia Abrego stated that “the boys had goofed.” Perez also testified that everyone in the drug trafficking organization, including Garcia Abrego, referred to Medrano and Malherbe as “the boys.” Resendez testified that he had a conversation with Garcia Abrego about the Bass Boulevard seizure. He testified that Garcia Abrego was angry and stated that the seizure was a result of having too many people involved in the organization. He also testified that Garcia Abrego stated that the individuals arrested in connection with the Bass Boulevard seizure had been calling, asking him for help. Based upon this evidence, the jury could reasonably conclude that the drug offense charged in count 8 was committed by Garcia Abrego’s coconspirators in furtherance of the conspiracy. Count 9 was based upon the seizure of 603 kilograms of cocaine from a tractor-trailer rig stuck in a ditch at a 30 warehouse located on Almeda-Genoa in Houston on November 6, 1989. The warehouse was located directly in front of a house on South Wayside, a street that runs perpendicularly to Almeda-Genoa. A search of the house on South Wayside revealed duffle bags similar to the ones discovered in the search of Bonnie’s Nursery. Rivas testified that an individual he knew as “Bono,” whom an FBI agent identified as Jose Bernardo Nieto, had previously shown him the Almeda-Genoa warehouse and indicated that it was a potential delivery point for cocaine in Houston. Rivas also testified that, during a telephone conversation, Nieto told him that he had lost a load of cocaine at the Almeda-Genoa warehouse. Tony Ortiz testified that he had met Nieto at Medrano’s home, where Nieto was meeting with Medrano to discuss cocaine transportation. According to Ortiz, Nieto had lost a load of the organization’s cocaine, and Medrano did not want to use him for transportation anymore. Medrano met with Nieto to make arrangements for Nieto to turn over the cocaine that he still had to Ortiz for transportation. Based upon this evidence, the jury could reasonably conclude that the drug offense described in count 9 was committed by Garcia Abrego’s coconspirators in furtherance of the conspiracy. Count 10 was based upon the seizure of two loads of cocaine, both in excess of 300 kilograms, from the Nole Hace Ranch and from a mobile home in Jones Creek, Texas. One of the FBI agents involved in the seizure at the Almeda-Genoa warehouse testified that he was conducting surveillance at the Wharton airport in 31 Houston and that he observed a blue pickup registered to Guadalupe Velez. The agent testified that he had previously observed a black pickup registered to Velez at the Almeda-Genoa warehouse. FBI agents followed the blue pickup to the Nole Hace Ranch, which is located near Clute, Texas. As the blue pickup drove into the ranch, it was met by the black pickup that agents had previously observed at the Almeda-Genoa warehouse. Both trucks drove back toward the ranch. Later that afternoon, the blue truck drove back to the Wharton airport and then to the mobile home in Jones Creek, which was owned by Guadalupe Velez’s sister. FBI agents subsequently searched the mobile home and the Nole Hace Ranch, discovering more than 300 kilograms of cocaine at each location. Phone records seized at the Almeda-Genoa warehouse and the Nole Hace Ranch indicated that one telephone call had been made from the South Wayside house located behind the Almeda-Genoa warehouse to the Nole Hace Ranch and that four telephone calls were made from the Nole Hace Ranch to the South Wayside house. As noted earlier, Rivas testified that the Almeda-Genoa warehouse was a potential delivery point for the organization’s cocaine. Based upon this testimony, in connection with the circumstantial evidence surrounding the two seizures at issue in count 10, the jury could reasonably infer that the drug offense described in count 10 was committed by Garcia Abrego’s coconspirators in furtherance of the conspiracy. Count 17 was based upon the seizure of 850 kilograms of cocaine recovered from a warehouse on Sunshine Strip in Harlingen 32 leased to Benito Gonzales and a truck that was searched shortly after it left the warehouse. Benito Gonzales was the brother of Marcos Gonzales, who Tony Ortiz testified worked for him transporting cocaine. Ortiz also testified that Benito Gonzales helped his brother in picking up, packaging, and delivering cocaine. Prior to searching the truck, U.S. customs officials had executed a search warrant on the warehouse and discovered metal boxes filled with cocaine and sealed inside wooden crates. Upon searching the truck, customs officials found cocaine packed in the same manner. This evidence, combined with Tony Ortiz’s testimony regarding his involvement in the overall conspiracy constitutes ample evidence from which the jury could reasonably conclude that the drug offense charged in count 17 was committed by Garcia Abrego’s coconspirators in furtherance of the conspiracy. Count 28 was based upon the seizure of 1000 kilograms of cocaine that were delivered to the New Jersey warehouse of George Paulicastro, an individual who was cooperating with the DEA. Carlos Rodriguez testified that he arranged shipments of cocaine to George Paulicastro’s warehouse in New Jersey. A special agent for the DEA testified that, when the load of cocaine reached Paulicastro’s warehouse on April 3, 1993, all but 10 kilograms of it was replaced with fake cocaine. Carlos Rodriguez testified that he was arrested in connection with the delivery. On April 9, 1993, Paulicastro delivered the cocaine in a rental truck to Francisco Segura. Segura was later arrested, and at that time he 33 had in his possession a telephone book containing a code that Segura testified was given to him by Medrano for use in deciphering encoded telephone numbers given to Segura by group members. Based upon this evidence, the jury could reasonably conclude that the drug offense described in count 28 was committed by Garcia Abrego’s coconspirators in furtherance of the conspiracy.