Opinion ID: 778825
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Nine Controlled Buys

Text: 28 In the alternative, we can assume the district court adopted the quarter-ounce estimate based on the quantities associated with the nine marijuana purchases controlled and executed by government agents and informants. Although it is not clear what evidentiary basis the government advanced below, on appeal the government emphasizes the controlled buys as the basis upon which we could sustain the estimate. We disagree that these few buys do so. 29 The use of nine buys to estimate the 60,250 transactions the government says took place is statistically and legally unreliable. Without information showing that the sample purchases are representative of the larger conduct, there is an inadequate evidentiary basis for the quarter-ounce estimate. See United States v. Rivera-Maldonado, 194 F.3d 224, 231 (1st Cir.1999) (holding that estimating the average drug transaction size of 86,400 transactions by using a sample of 12 controlled buys was improper); see also United States v. Shonubi, 103 F.3d 1085, 1092 (2nd Cir.1997) (holding it was error to use a sample of four balloons to estimate the total weight of heroin found in 103 balloons); United States v. Butler, 41 F.3d 1435, 1447 (11th Cir.1995) (rejecting average of 66 transactions per day based solely on a single day's 66 transactions where there was no evidence that single day was typical or average or otherwise a valid indicator of drug activities on other days); United States v. Collado, 975 F.2d 985, 998 (3d Cir.1992) (overturning a finding that telephone calls regarding heroin transactions must have referred to a sale of at least 62.5 grams because the defendants dealt in quantities of at least that amount on other occasions); United States v. Hewitt, 942 F.2d 1270, 1274 (8th Cir.1991) (disapproving of using defendant's admission that he brought 112 grams during certain trips to conclude that other trips also involved 112 grams); cf. U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1, comment (n.12) (permitting district court to consider  similar transactions in controlled substances by the defendant to approximate drug quantity (emphasis added)). The government presented no evidence that the nine controlled transactions typified the alleged 60,241 other marijuana purchases. Indeed, other evidence at trial and in the PSR undercut the quarter-ounce estimate. One of the government's confidential informants testified that he bought marijuana from Culps five times in amounts less than a quarter-ounce. Further, during the search of the residence, the government found 25 small, prepackaged bags of marijuana with an amount of marijuana that apparently was too small to weigh. 30 That the sample represents buys controlled by the government, in which the government established the quantity, amplifies our misgivings. See Rivera-Maldonado, 194 F.3d at 232 (holding there was insufficient evidence to conclude that controlled buys by government agents were representative of the average drug purchaser); cf. U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1, comment (n.14) (recognizing that the use of quantities controlled by the government to approximate drug quantity may not accurately reflect a defendant's culpability). The government possesses considerable monetary resources and an incentive to buy as much marijuana as it can from the targets of its investigation. Indeed, on several occasions, undercover officers attempted to buy much larger, quarter-pound quantities of marijuana from the Culps residence. Although we do not suggest that the respective drug-type quantities indicated in these controlled buys must be disregarded merely because they were controlled by the government, we do say that the necessary factual inference — that these controlled buys were reasonably representative of the uncontrolled drug transactions ... — should find discernible record support that is lacking here. Rivera-Maldonado, 194 F.3d at 232. 5 31 We therefore hold that the district court's use of a quarter-ounce of marijuana as an average transaction size constituted clear error. Culps' sentence must be vacated and the case remanded to the district court. Because additional issues raised by Culps' appeal may arise on remand, we address them next.