Opinion ID: 562305
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Section 846 Sentence

Text: 30 Lai was convicted of directing a continuing criminal enterprise, 21 U.S.C. Sec. 848, and conspiring to distribute narcotics, 21 U.S.C. Sec. 846. The district court sentenced him to consecutive terms of life without parole and twenty years imprisonment, respectively. 31 In United States v. Hernandez-Escarsega, 886 F.2d 1560, 1582 (9th Cir.1989), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 110 S.Ct. 3237, 111 L.Ed.2d 748 (1990), this court held that [o]nce it is determined that Congress did not intend cumulative punishment for the section 846 violation and the section 848 violation, the only remedy consistent with the congressional intent is for the sentencing court to vacate the convictions for the lesser offenses. Id., citing Ball v. United States, 470 U.S. 856, 864-65, 105 S.Ct. 1668, 1673, 84 L.Ed.2d 740 (1985). 32 In section VII of this opinion we remand this case to the district court for it to determine whether certain records had a proper basis for admission into evidence. These records relate to Lai's conviction for violating section 848. Thus at this time it is unclear whether Lai's section 848 conviction will stand. If, on remand, the district court determines that Lai's section 848 conviction stands, then we instruct the district court to follow the rule of Hernandez-Escarsega and vacate his section 846 conviction. 33