Opinion ID: 318307
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: additional arguments by appellant james

Text: 88 Pursuant to a search warrant issued August 17, 1969 agents searched James' apartment on Florida Avenue, N.W., and seized quantities of heroin and cocaine. The drugs thus seized provided the principal evidence upon which James was convicted of substantive narcotics offenses. He argues that the evidence should have been suppressed because the affidavit in support of the search warrant contained material errors; if those errors had not been made, he says, there would not have been probable cause for the issuance of the warrant. 89 The affidavit filed by Agent Cody set out facts and circumstances, including telephone conversations, from which it could reasonably be concluded that Tantillo, Paladino and Verderosa (then known as Santarelli) in New York were the source of Jackson's supply of narcotics; and that when they made delivery of narcotics to him they came to Washington for that purpose. On the afternoon of August 11, 1969, according to the affidavit, agents observed Tantillo, Paladino and Verderosa in the Hotel America at 14th Street and Massachusetts Avenue in Washington. Verderosa left the hotel carrying a black vinyl bag. Following behind him were Tantillo and Paladino. Verderosa walded alone to a point on N Street near the hotel, where he got into a 1968 black-over-yellow Ford Thunderbird. Twenty-two minutes later the agents observed Leon James deiving the Thunderbird in the vicinity of the hotel. In the car with James was Verderosa. The agents lost sight of James for about ten minutes and then saw him driving off alone. They followed him to 14th Street and Florida Avenue, N.W. where he parked and entered an apartment building at 1415 Florida Avenue. At this time he was carrying a plaid plastic bag 'approximately large enough to hold a loaf of bread' and his actions were furtive. Consulting telephone company records the agents found that an unpuablished telephone number was listed in the name of Leon James at 1415 Florida Avenue, Apartment 303. 90 The Cody affidavit also referred to five intercepted telephone communications which he believed concerned Leon James. These conversations were: 91 (1). At 8:05 P.M. on August 8, 1969, 'Leon' telephoned to Lawrence Jackson at 582-9265, asked for Jackson, and, on learning from 'wayne' that Jackson was elsewhere, left the telephone number CO5-3203, which number according to the records of the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company is listed to Ontario Liquors, 1733 Columbia Road, N.W., Washington, D.C. 92 (2). At 8:30 P.M. on August 8, 1969, Lawrence Jackson telephoned to 582-9265 and asked 'Richard' for messages. When told that 'Leon' had called, Jackson asked if that was 'Leon James'. Richard called to 'Wayne' in the room and asked which 'Leon' it was that had telephoned. 'Wayne' stated that Jackson should call 'Leon' at CO5-3203. 93 (3). On August 8, 1969, at 10:22 P.M. 'Leon' called . . . again and asked for Lawrence Jackson. 'Leon' said he was waiting. A Lawrence Jackson associate was upset that Jackson had not called, 'Leon', and said he would go up the street and tell Jackson that 'Leon' was waiting. 94 (4). At 4:05 A.M. on August 10, 1060, 'Sissy Harold' telephoned Lawrence Jackson at 582-9265 and, during a long conversation, asked Jackson to finance him in a narcotics selling operation. Jackson refused, stating that 'Leon James' (whom Jackson also refers to as 'Old Man James') once loaned 'Sissy Harold' money to start an operation and that James never received his money back. According to Jackson, 'Leon James' had told him not to do business with 'Sissy Harold.' 95 (5). On August 11, 1969, at 10:42 A.M., 'Leon' called the headquarters of Lawrence Jackson. An associate of Jackson said that Jackson had left one-half hour ago. 'Leon' then said 'Have Lawrence come to my store. The man left some money for him.' 96 Before trial, on the basis of further study, the government concluded and with commendable candor conceded that the Leon mentioned in calls Numbered 1, 3 and 5 was not the defendant Leon James. Seizing on this discrepancy the appellant James argues that the attribution of the calls to him was unreasonable and that in consequence probable cause to issue the search warrant did not exist. We disagree. 97 The existence of probable cause to support a warrant is to be determined from the perspective and knowledge of the agents and magistrate at the time it was issued. Specifically, the question here is whether a reasonably discreet and prudent man, considering the facts and circumstances presented to Agent Cody and the magistrate, would have believed that James was engaged in illegal narcotics activity at 1415 Florida Avenue, Apartment 303. We think the facts and circumstances meet that standard. 98 Given the sequence in time in which the telephone calls occurred, together with the identification of Leon James by name in two of the calls, it was not unreasonable to conclude that the 'Leon' referred to in all five instances was Leon James. Moreover, the three calls erroneously attributed to Leon James added little to the substance of the affidavit; at most they showed a relationship between Jackson and 'Leon', a fact already established by the other two calls. 99 Taken as a whole, the Cody affidavit plainly established probable cause for the search of the James apartment. The vinyl bag carried by the known narcotics courier, the circumspect meeting in the car with an implicated trafficker, the disappearance of the courier minutes thereafter, the bread-sized bag carried by James as he left his parked car near his apartment, and his furtive conduct upon entering the building-- these circumstances taken together reasonably established the probability that Verderosa gave Leon James a quantity of narcotics which he thereafter took to his apartment and secreted there.
100 The jury convicted Leon James on count 12 of the indictment which charged that he violated 26 U.S.C. 4704(a) by purchasing, dispensing or distributing two packages of cocaine not in or from the original stamped package. He contends that the evidence did not support this conviction. 101 The two packages of cocaine involved in count 12 were found by agents on August 18, 1969 during the search of the James apartment on Florida Avenue. Both packages of cocaine were found in a locked metal box in the dresser of the apartment. One of the packages was a glassine bag containing 2.656 grams of 6.77% Anhydrous cocaine. The other package was wrapped in tinfoil and contained 1.716 grams of 6.87% Anhydrous cocaine. 102 Also contained in the locked metal box along with the cocaine were the following: 103 a. a large double glassine bag containing a white powder which was determined to be 72.769 grams of 86.7 percent anhydrous heroin; b. twelve empty glassine bags which are commonly used to package narcotics in quantities of less than an ounce. c. 147 empty glassine bags which are commonly used to package narcotics in quantities of an ounce or more; and d. asorted paraphernalia commonly used to cut or weigh narcotics, e.g., sifter, knife, tinfoil, spoons. 104 In the hall closet of the apartment agents found a suitcase containing a spoon and a bag. The bag contained a substance which turned out to be manitol, a diluent which can be used to cut drugs. Also recovered from the hall closet was a scale with calibrations from one-half ounce to sixteen ounces. 105 In one of the address books seized from the apartment was the following notation: 11 1/2 Boy 106 1 1/4  1 OZ Girl $930.00 4  1500.00