Topic

Drug Trafficking

Every decision we've filed under Drug Trafficking.

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Civil 2084 Criminal 1218 Summary Judgment 466 Sentencing Guidelines 413 Civil Rights - Section 1983 395 Immigration (Civil) 354 Constitutional 350 Supervised Release 285 Firearms 213 Civil Rights - Employment 204 Intellectual Property 159 Qualified Immunity 151
Apr 27 2026
11th Cir. 1:23-cr-20385-CMA-2 Per Curiam

United States v. Henriquez

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed drug trafficking convictions under the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, rejecting challenges that the statute lacks constitutional authority over offenses in foreign Exclusive Economic Zones. The court held that the vessel was subject to U.S. jurisdiction because the master failed to claim nationality, and that foreign cooperation does not strip American courts of authority.

Criminal Drug Trafficking
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Apr 27 2026
6th Cir. 25-3730 Published

United States v. Shropshire

The Sixth Circuit affirmed a 121-month prison sentence for a large-scale drug trafficker, ruling the district court properly exercised its discretion to impose an above-Guidelines sentence. The court found no procedural or substantive unreasonableness in the sentence, which was based on the defendant's leadership role and the extraordinary volume of drugs involved.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Guidelines Departure Sentencing Guidelines
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Apr 27 2026
5th Cir. 25-30192 Per Curiam

United States of America Plaintiff— v. Julius Augillard Defendant—

The Fifth Circuit affirmed Julius Augillard's 70-month sentence for felon in possession of a firearm, rejecting his challenges to the sentencing guidelines' application of the realistic probability test and the firearm enhancement. However, the court vacated the judgment in part because the district court failed to orally pronounce a discretionary supervised release condition that was later added to the written judgment.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Sentencing Guidelines Supervised Release
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Apr 27 2026
7th Cir. 24-3329 Panel Decision

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. ERLIN LUCERO-ASENCIO

The Seventh Circuit affirmed a 324-month sentence for drug trafficking, ruling that defense counsel's explicit agreement with the Presentence Report's drug quantity constituted a deliberate waiver of any challenge to those facts. The court held that strategic choices made during sentencing cannot be undone on appeal simply because they later appear unwise.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Sentencing Guidelines
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Apr 27 2026
11th Cir. 1:23-cr-20385-CMA-2 Per Curiam

United States v. Henriquez

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed convictions under the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act for drug trafficking occurring within a foreign nation's Exclusive Economic Zone. The court held that Congress possesses authority under the Felonies Clause to prosecute such conduct and that a vessel becomes subject to U.S. jurisdiction when its master fails to claim nationality.

Criminal Drug Trafficking
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Apr 27 2026
11th Cir. 3:24-cr-00058-TKW-1 Per Curiam

United States v. David Gerome Kennedy

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed David Gerome Kennedy's 180-month sentence for drug conspiracy and possession, rejecting his claim that the district court plainly erred in applying sentencing enhancements for firearm possession and maintaining a premises for drug distribution. The court found sufficient evidence that Kennedy possessed firearms related to his drug trafficking and used the Milton residence as a primary site for distributing controlled substances.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Firearms Sentencing Guidelines
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Apr 27 2026
11th Cir. 1:23-cr-20385-CMA-2 Per Curiam

United States v. Henriquez

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed convictions under the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act for drug trafficking occurring within Colombia's Exclusive Economic Zone. The court rejected arguments that the statute is unconstitutional or lacks jurisdictional nexus, holding that the vessel was stateless because the master failed to claim nationality.

Criminal Drug Trafficking
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Apr 24 2026
9th Cir. 1:21-cr-00004-TMB-MMS-1 Unpublished

United States v. Jones

The Ninth Circuit affirmed Dustin Jones's convictions for drug trafficking and felon-in-possession, ruling that his anchored boat qualified as a vehicle under the Fourth Amendment. The court further held that officers had reasonable belief the suspect was inside to justify the arrest warrant execution and that the felon-in-possession statute remains constitutional as applied to non-violent felons.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Fourth Amendment - Search & Seizure
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Apr 24 2026
11th Cir. 8:24-cr-00500-SDM-TGW-3 Per Curiam

United States v. Cesar Daniel Perez Vera

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a 108-month sentence for a defendant convicted of conspiring to distribute cocaine on a vessel. The court held that the district court did not clearly err in denying a minor-role reduction because the defendant's knowing participation as a crewmember constituted serious involvement in the criminal scheme.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Sentencing Guidelines
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