Opinion ID: 694763
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Sufficiency of the Evidence on Firearm Charge

Text: 71 Defendants Ross and Saikaly argue that the prosecution presented insufficient evidence to support their convictions on the charge that they violated 18 U.S.C.A. Sec. 924(c)(1) which imposes a five-year prison term on anyone who during and in relation to any ... drug-trafficking crime ... uses or carries a firearm. 18 U.S.C.A. Sec. 924(c)(1) (West Supp.1994). 72
73 The prosecution presented evidence that defendant Ross purchased a handgun the day after Gordon, in an intercepted telephone conversation, warned Ross (to whom Gordon supplied drugs) to be careful in light of recent robberies. On the day he purchased the gun, Ross called Gordon to confer with him about purchasing a gun. 74 Regarding defendant Saikaly, the prosecution presented evidence that police arrested him on April 30, 1992, and that, at that time, he was carrying a handgun, ammunition, and $22,000 in cash. Further, on May 22, 1992, police searched his bedroom and found ammunition, a loaded shotgun, $1,100, and a pager. 75
76 This court has interpreted Sec. 924(c)(1) broadly. In particular, the term uses cover[s] the gamut of situations where drug traffickers have ready access to weapons with which they secure or enforce their transactions. United States v. Acosta-Cazares, 878 F.2d 945, 952 (6th Cir.1989), cert. denied, 493 U.S. 899 (1989) (emphasis added). Possessing a weapon merely for its emboldening effect or to otherwise facilitate a drug transaction constitutes a violation of Sec. 924(c)(1). United States v. Warner, 10 F.3d 1236, 1239 (6th Cir.1993). This court approaches this contention by asking whether any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime. 77 Ross was a major, long-time participant in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and had a strong association with Gordon. He purchased the handgun after being warned of drug robberies by Gordon. Thus, a jury could reasonably conclude Ross purchased the firearm for protection and use in his drug-trafficking activities. The evidence was sufficient to support Ross' Sec. 924(c)(1) conviction. 78 In view of the evidence indicating that Saikaly was routinely buying and distributing cocaine, the evidence is sufficient to support his Sec. 924(c) conviction. A jury could have reasonably concluded both that he used a gun and that the gun was used in relation to, i.e., to facilitate, a drug-trafficking crime. A reasonable juror could have found that Saikaly carried guns to protect himself, the large amounts of cocaine he routinely purchased, and the large sums of drug-related cash he carried.