Opinion ID: 770161
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Expert Testimony of DEA Agent Joseph Reagan

Text: 19 During the defendants' trial, the government called DEA Agent Joseph Reagan to the stand to testify as an expert witness about the nature, structure, and characteristics of drug trafficking operations. Defendant Trevino now argues that in admitting this testimony, the district court failed to apply the proper standard for the admission of expert testimony as enunciated by the Supreme Court in Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U.S. 579 (1993). We review whether the district court properly followed the Daubert framework in considering the admissibility of expert testimony de novo, see United States v. Hall, 165 F.3d 1095, 1101 (7th Cir. 1999), but we review the district court's decision to admit Agent Reagan's testimony for an abuse of discretion, seeKumho Tire Co. v. Carmichael, 526 U.S. 137, 152 (1999); United States v. Clark, 192 F.3d 750, 756 (7th Cir. 1999). 20 Rule 702 of the Federal Rules of Evidence provides that [i]f scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge will assist the trier of fact to determine a fact in issue an expert may testify thereto. Fed.R.Evid. 702. The Supreme Court has made clear that in applying Rule 702, district courts serve a gatekeeping function and must ensure that the expert testimony at issue both rests on a reliable foundation and is relevant to the task at hand. Daubert, 509 U.S. at 597; see Kumho, 526 U.S. at 147. Although the Daubert Court identified a number of factors to be considered when evaluating the admissibility of expert testimony- -including testing, peer review, error rates, and acceptability within the relevant professional community--these factors do not establish a definitive checklist. See Kumho, 526 U.S. at 150; Daubert, 509 U.S. at 593. Rather, the applicability of the various Daubert factors depends on the particular facts and circumstances of each case. See Kumho, 526 U.S. at 150; Daubert, 509 U.S. at 591. 21 The government argues that the district court properly understood the analytical framework of Daubert, and demonstrated that it was applying the proper standard, when it stated, I will allow . . . the agent to proceed, one, assuming that he will be qualified as an expert, and then, two, into relevant inquiry. We agree that this reflects the district court's understanding that in order to be qualified, an expert witness's testimony must be both reliable and relevant. Furthermore, after the government laid a proper foundation for Agent Reagan's testimony, the district court explicitly indicated that he was qualified as an expert witness and the defendants failed to object to that finding. It is well- settled that the methods and structure of narcotics trafficking is a proper source of expert testimony. See United States v. Mancillas, 183 F.3d 682, 704-06 (7th Cir. 1999); United States v. Navarro, 90 F.3d 1245, 1261 (7th Cir. 1996) (Law enforcement officers . . . may qualify as experts in narcotics trafficking and may offer explanations to the jury.); United States v. Lipscomb, 14 F.3d 1236, 1239-43 (7th Cir. 1994); United States v. Brown, 7 F.3d 648, 652 (7th Cir. 1993) (collecting cases); United States v. Foster, 939 F.2d 445, 451 (7th Cir. 1991); United States v. Solis, 923 F.2d 548, 550- 51 (7th Cir. 1991). It is also clear from his experience that Agent Reagan was qualified to offer testimony as to the general structure of drug organizations and that his testimony regarding drug trafficking was helpful to the jury. Under these circumstances, we are satisfied that the district court properly applied the Daubert framework in considering the testimony of Agent Reagan. Defendant Trevino's general objections to the testimony of Agent Reagan are therefore unavailing. 22 Defendant Trevino's more specific objection to Agent Reagan's testimony does not focus on his qualifications in general, but rather on what the defendant characterizes as testimony about the nature and characteristics of Hispanic drug dealers. According to defendant Trevino, this kind of testimony is problematic for two reasons. First, defendant Trevino argues that Agent Reagan was not qualified to testify about Hispanic drug organizations because his relevant investigative experience did not center on Hispanics or on Hispanic areas. Second, defendant Trevino argues that Agent Reagan's testimony about Hispanic drug dealers improperly introduced ethnicity into the trial and should not have been admitted because it was too prejudicial. While we recognize that testimony about the relevant characteristics of particular ethnic groups could be problematic, and we agree that Agent Reagan's experience did not qualify him to speak authoritatively on the particular characteristics of Hispanic drug trafficking organizations, defendant Trevino's argument as to the nature of Agent Reagan's testimony is not supported by the record. 23 Agent Reagan's testimony centered on drug trafficking operations generally and he drew no distinctions between Hispanic drug traffickers and drug traffickers of any other race or ethnic origin. In fact, Agent Reagan's only reference to Hispanic drug dealers during the entire course of his testimony was an acknowledgment that in the past he had investigated Hispanic drug trafficking organizations. Nothing about Agent Reagan's testimony indicates an ethnically-based evaluation of the evidence, nor was there any attempt by Agent Reagan or the government to interject the potentially prejudicial issue of ethnicity into the witness's testimony. Accordingly, we find no error in the district court's decision to qualify Agent Reagan as an expert and to admit his testimony regarding drug trafficking organizations. 24