Opinion ID: 508517
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Display of Cocaine to Jury.

Text: 18 Both defendants argue that the prejudicial impact of the cocaine display outweighed its probative value because they were willing to stipulate to the quantity, purity and manner of packaging of the cocaine seized. While defendants concede, as they must, that the district court is provided broad discretion under Fed.R.Evid. 403 regarding the admissibility of relevant evidence, see Outley v. City of New York, 837 F.2d 587, 592 (2d Cir.1988); United States v. Robinson, 560 F.2d 507, 514 (2d Cir.1977) (in banc), cert. denied, 435 U.S. 905, 98 S.Ct. 1451, 55 L.Ed.2d 496 (1978), they nevertheless contend that the district court abused its discretion in allowing the cocaine display. 19 To find an abuse of discretion, defendants must show that the trial court acted arbitrarily or irrationally. United States v. Birney, 686 F.2d 102, 106 (2d Cir.1982) (citation omitted). This is a difficult burden to meet. Defendants' burden is made more onerous by the fact that we must look at the evidence in a light most favorable to its proponent, maximizing its probative value and minimizing its prejudicial effect. United States v. Jamil, 707 F.2d 638, 642 (2d Cir.1983) (quoting United States v. Brady, 595 F.2d 359, 361 (6th Cir.), cert. denied, 444 U.S. 862, 100 S.Ct. 129, 62 L.Ed.2d 84 (1979)). While defendants' argument has some superficial appeal in that evidence of narcotics transactions may give rise to a danger of unfair prejudice, see United States v. Pedroza, 750 F.2d 187, 201 (2d Cir.1984), cert. denied, 479 U.S. 842, 107 S.Ct. 151, 93 L.Ed.2d 92 (1986), in this case the district court's decision to allow the display of cocaine before the jury was far from erroneous. The 500 pounds of cocaine was the principal physical evidence in the case. Moreover the court was careful to limit the duration of the display, thereby minimizing the prejudicial impact of the large quantity of cocaine. 20