Opinion ID: 757557
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Sufficiency of the Evidence of Narcotics Conspiracy

Text: 27 A defendant who challenges the sufficiency of evidence bears a heavy burden. United States v. Pipola, 83 F.3d 556, 564 (2d Cir.1996), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 117 S.Ct. 183, 136 L.Ed.2d 122 (1996). This Court must consider the evidence in the light most favorable to the government. Glasser v. United States, 315 U.S. 60, 80, 62 S.Ct. 457, 86 L.Ed. 680 (1942). We must credit every inference that the jury may have drawn in favor of the government. United States v. Masotto, 73 F.3d 1233, 1241 (2d Cir.1996), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 117 S.Ct. 54, 136 L.Ed.2d 18 (1996) (quotation marks and citation omitted). The jury's verdict must be sustained, if any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979). These principles apply whether the evidence being reviewed is direct or circumstantial. See, e.g., Glasser, 315 U.S. at 80, 62 S.Ct. 457. 28 Wells was convicted of violating Section 846 of Title 21 of the United States Code. That section provides: 29 [A]ny person who attempts or conspires to commit any offense in this subchapter shall be subject to the same penalties as those prescribed for the offense, the commission of which was the object of the attempt or conspiracy. 30 21 U.S.C. § 846. In order to prove a conspiracy charge against a defendant, the government must present  'some evidence from which it can reasonably be inferred that the person charged with conspiracy knew of the existence of the scheme alleged in the indictment and knowingly joined and participated in it.'  United States v. Sanchez Solis, 882 F.2d 693, 696 (2d Cir.1989) (quoting United States v. Gaviria, 740 F.2d 174, 183 (2d Cir.1984)). Both the existence of the conspiracy and the defendant's participation in it with the requisite criminal intent may be established through circumstantial evidence. See, e.g., United States v. Tutino, 883 F.2d 1125, 1129 (2d Cir.1989). The defendant need not know the identities of all of the other conspirators, nor all of the details of the conspiracy. See Blumenthal v. United States, 332 U.S. 539, 557, 68 S.Ct. 248, 92 L.Ed. 154 (1947). 31 The essence of conspiracy is the agreement and not the commission of the substantive offense. See United States v. Abel, 258 F.2d 485, 489 (2d Cir.1958), aff'd on other grounds, 362 U.S. 217, 80 S.Ct. 683, 4 L.Ed.2d 668 (1960). Here, the record is devoid of any conspiratorial conduct. Without more, the mere buyer-seller relationship between Wells and Taft is insufficient to establish a conspiracy. See United States v. Beech-Nut Nutrition Corp., 871 F.2d 1181, 1191 (2d Cir.1989). 1 The government contends that a conspiracy between Wells and his supplier is established through the tape-recorded conversation between Taft and Wells during the drug sale. Wells makes only one statement that mentions his involvement with another person: I don't want to lose face with that dude man because he always has something decent and he always comes up right. Never tapped, never in a bag, never messed up, yeah so I should do him right. It is true that this remark may indicate Wells has a buyer-seller relationship with another person who is a source for his drugs. Without more, however, these remarks standing alone are legally insufficient to show a conspiratorial agreement to distribute drugs made between Wells and that unknown source. 32 As a matter of law, the crime of conspiracy must involve the agreement of two or more persons to commit a criminal act or acts [s]ince the act of agreeing is a group act, unless at least two people commit it, no one does. Developments in the Law--Criminal Conspiracy, 72 Harv. L.Rev. 920, 926 (1959). Parties can agree without being aware of one another's identity. Blumenthal, 332 U.S. at 557-58, 68 S.Ct. 248. This Court, however, has held that to support a conviction the evidence must at least demonstrate the existence of the unknown co-conspirators and their complicity. See United States v. Cepeda, 768 F.2d 1515, 1517 (2d Cir.1985) (holding that defendant's intent to enter into conspiracy with others unknown to distribute or possess with intent to distribute cocaine could not be inferred from presence and mere possession of paraphernalia usable in drug cutting). 33 Here, we have only Wells's vague statement made contemporaneously with a single heroin sale. This statement alone is too thin a reed to support the essential element of a conspiracy--the agreement. Cf. United States v. Soto, 716 F.2d 989, 991-92 (2d Cir.1983) (holding that evidence that defendant resided at an apartment occupied by several others and used as a cutting mill, even coupled with knowledge that a crime was being committed there, was insufficient to sustain conspiracy conviction). It merely points to the existence of a potential drug source. The government asks us to permit jurors to draw an inference of an agreement without providing a logical and convincing connection between the facts established and the conclusion inferred. United States v. Salmon, 944 F.2d 1106, 1114 (3d Cir.1991). While the statement that Wells made may imply more than one transaction, it gives no specific indication of the exact nature of that transaction or the quantity of drugs involved. Therefore, it would be sheer speculation for jurors to conclude that an agreement to distribute drugs had been made. 34 Accordingly, we hold that no rational jury could find Wells guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of each element of the narcotics conspiracy offense on the basis of the meager evidence presented. The government has not satisfied the most basic element of the conspiracy charge--to show agreement to distribute drugs between Wells and another person, even if unknown. Therefore, we must reverse the judgment of conviction of the district court as to the finding of guilt on Count One.