Opinion ID: 778666
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Drug Amount

Text: 17 In contrast with the district court's determination of the drug type, however, we must conclude that the determination of the drug amount is reversible error requiring re-sentencing. The testimony in the record concerning the amount of cocaine involved in the conspiracy is speculative. Miguel Sarduy-Cruz, a co-conspirator and the primary government witness to testify to the amount of cocaine handled by Cleaves, was unable to recall with any degree of certainty the number of trips made with Cleaves or the amount of drugs purchased on each trip. 18 Further, the jury could easily have dismissed Sarduy-Cruz's testimony and still returned a guilty verdict based upon the testimony of other witnesses, including Texas Police Officer Kent Basinger, who testified that he stopped a Buick LaSabre automobile on January 13, 1998, and recovered a small amount of cocaine from a jacket in the car. The automobile, rented by Cleaves, was occupied by two of the other co-conspirators, Jeter and Harris. Additionally, the fact that a police search revealed that Cleaves's car was outfitted with a hidden compartment designed for cocaine transport could have led a reasonable jury to conclude that Cleaves was involved in a drug conspiracy without any conclusive determination of the amount of cocaine involved. There is no indication on the record that any large amount of cocaine was ever recovered by the authorities or entered into evidence at trial. 4