Background
Job Jasso, Jr. appealed his conviction under Section eighteen United States Code Section nine hundred twenty-four subsection C one A one. He argued that the evidence presented at trial was insufficient to prove he possessed firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.
The court’s reasoning
The court viewed the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict. It concluded that a reasonable juror could find that Jasso possessed firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking because stolen and loaded handguns were found within inches of the fentanyl pills he was convicted of possessing with intent to distribute. The court relied on United States versus Moya to support this conclusion.
What it means going forward
The affirmation reinforces the standard for sufficiency of evidence in firearms and drug trafficking cases within the Fifth Circuit.
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