Opinion ID: 714124
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 14

Heading: Possession of a Firearm in Connection with the Conspiracy

Text: 81 Michael Castillo contends that the district court erred in enhancing his base offense level by two levels, pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1(b)(1), for possession of a firearm in connection with a drug offense. We review this decision by the district court for clear error. See United States v. Buchanan, 70 F.3d 818, 827-28 (5th Cir.1995). 82 The district court had before it evidence that, during the search of Michael Castillo's home, law enforcement officials seized a .38-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver, handwritten notes that referred to shipments of marihuana, and eighteen pounds of marihuana. The district court concluded that Michael Castillo had been involved throughout the duration of the conspiracy, and that it was reasonably foreseeable to him--and within the scope of his agreement with the other defendants--that at least a thousand kilograms of marijuana would be trafficked by [his] family. At sentencing, the court overruled defense counsel's objection to this two-level enhancement: 83 As to the gun, and I agree, Mr. Heiskell, if he had a small amount of drugs and he just had a gun in the house that ordinarily without more you wouldn't give the two-point--assess the two-level increase. But when we are dealing with the amounts of drugs that we are dealing with here, thousands of pounds and thousands and thousands and maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars, I just think the inference is too strong. And trips out of state, that the gun had to have been at least somewhat involved in the offense that's alleged. So I will deny that objection. 84 In United States v. Mitchell, 31 F.3d 271 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 115 S.Ct. 455, 130 L.Ed.2d 363 (1994), this Court observed that Application Note 3 to § 2D1.1 explains that enhancement for possession of a weapon should be applied if the weapon was present, unless it is clearly improbable that the weapon was connected with the offense. Id. at 277. Considering that law enforcement officials discovered in Michael Castillo's home not only the gun, but also eighteen pounds of marihuana and notes relating to the conspiracy, the district court's finding--that the gun was at least somewhat involved in the offense--was not clearly erroneous. The court certainly could have inferred that Michael Castillo was storing marihuana in his home, in which case the connection between the gun and the conspiracy was not clearly improbable. 34