Court Opinion

ID: 9493600
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 15:12:49.081693+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:55:55.465141
License: Public Domain

TROTT, Circuit Judge,
Concurring and Dissenting:
Martinez was convicted in 1996 of a violation of § 11360(a) of the California Health and Safety Code, which reads,
... Every person who ... imports into this state ... any marijuana shall be punished by imprisonment in state prison for a period of two, three, or four years.
Martinez’s abstract of judgment with respect to this conviction, to which we may look under Casarez-Bravo, 181 F.3d 1074 (9th Cir.1999) to determine the categorical nature of the offense of conviction, identifies categorically the crime of Martinez’s conviction as “Trans of Marij Into CA.” The definition anywhere and everywhere of “importation” is “transportation into.” Martinez himself wrote on his plea form, “I transported marijuana across border.” (Emphasis added). Thus, I believe the district court was correct to conclude that this conviction was for importing marijuana; and because the operative federal career offender definition of a “controlled substance offense” includes an offense under state laiu that prohibits importing of marijuana, I believe that the federal career offender enhancement was appropriate. Thus, and with all respect to my col*746leagues, I dissent from their conclusion on this issue. In all other respects, I concur.