Topic

Drug Trafficking

Every decision we've filed under Drug Trafficking.

Related topics

Civil 3399 Criminal 1956 Summary Judgment 806 Sentencing Guidelines 718 Civil Rights - Section 1983 647 Immigration (Civil) 646 Constitutional 536 Supervised Release 473 Civil Rights - Employment 367 Firearms 319 Qualified Immunity 251 Anders Brief 242
Nov 12 2025
11th Cir. 2:23-cv-00733-SPC-KCD Published

Koletas v. United States of America

The Eleventh Circuit held that Transportation Security Officers qualify as investigative or law enforcement officers under the Federal Tort Claims Act, waiving sovereign immunity for intentional torts committed during airport security searches. This ruling reverses the district court's dismissal, allowing the plaintiff's claims of battery and false imprisonment to proceed against the United States.

Criminal Drug Trafficking
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Nov 6 2025
11th Cir. 8:22-cr-00208-VMC-AAS-1 Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. JEROME MILLER, JR

The Eleventh Circuit vacated a defendant's sentence because his prior Florida cocaine delivery convictions did not qualify as serious drug offenses under the Armed Career Criminal Act. The court held that the state law at the time of the offenses was broader than federal law due to the inclusion of ioflupane, creating a categorical mismatch.

Criminal Drug Trafficking
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Nov 4 2025
11th Cir. 6:20-cv-00025-RBD-DCI Published

Aguirre-Jarquin v. Seminole County

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the denial of qualified immunity to a latent print examiner who allegedly fabricated forensic evidence, but reversed the denial of immunity for investigators who failed to pursue alternative suspects. The court held that fabricating a positive print match violates clearly established due process rights, while no such right existed to an investigation that eliminates all doubts about a suspect.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Qualified Immunity
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Dec 30 2024
9th Cir. 9:21-cr-00029- Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. MICHAEL BLAKE DEFRANCE

The Ninth Circuit reversed Michael Blake DeFrance's conviction for possessing a firearm as a convicted domestic abuser because his prior state offense did not legally require physical force. The court held that Montana's assault statute is too broad to qualify as a predicate offense under federal law because it can be violated by inflicting emotional distress alone.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Firearms
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Nov 5 2024
9th Cir. 8:19-cr-00010- Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. DZUNG AHN PHAM

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the denial of a physician's motion to withdraw his guilty plea, ruling that his admission to knowingly issuing prescriptions outside the usual course of professional practice satisfied the mens rea requirement established in Ruan v. United States. The court held that Pham's explicit acknowledgment that he acted without a legitimate medical purpose inherently proved he knew he was unauthorized under the Controlled Substances Act.

Criminal Drug Trafficking
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Aug 9 2024
United States Court… 22-7129 Panel Decision

Oyoma Asinor and Bryan Dozier v. District of Columbia, et al.

The D.C. Circuit held that the Fourth Amendment requires the continued retention of personal property seized incident to a lawful arrest to remain reasonable, even after the arrestee has been released. The court reversed the district court's dismissal of claims alleging that the District of Columbia unreasonably retained plaintiffs' property for months or years without justification.

Criminal Drug Trafficking
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Jul 18 2024
9th Cir. 24-932 Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. ROBERT RUNDO; ROBERT BOMAN

The Ninth Circuit reversed the district court's dismissal of an indictment charging defendants with violating the Anti-Riot Act, holding that they failed to satisfy the rigorous two-prong selective prosecution standard. The panel found no similarly situated individuals were unpunished because the lower court improperly compared collective far-left groups to specific defendants and determined that timing and other government actions did not prove impermissible motive.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Fourteenth Amendment - Equal Protection
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Jul 16 2024
United States Court… 22-5231 Panel Decision

BARBARA KOWAL v. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

The D.C. Circuit affirmed summary judgment for federal law enforcement agencies in two Freedom of Information Act lawsuits, ruling that their searches for records regarding death row inmate Daniel Troya were adequate. The court further held that the agencies properly withheld documents under multiple FOIA exemptions to protect privacy, confidential sources, and law enforcement techniques.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Summary Judgment
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Jun 13 2024
9th Cir. 6:21-cr-00004- Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. JOHN RUSSELL HOWALD

The Ninth Circuit affirmed John Howald's convictions for a federal hate crime and firearm discharge, rejecting his constitutional challenges to the statute's Commerce Clause reach. The court further held that an attempt to kill under the Hate Crimes Prevention Act constitutes a crime of violence, satisfying the elements required for the firearm enhancement.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Firearms
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