Topic
Every decision we've filed under Drug Trafficking.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed a twenty-year mandatory minimum sentence for a defendant convicted of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl resulting in serious bodily injury. The court rejected the defendant's argument that the sentence violated the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed the conviction of a defendant charged with drug trafficking after he challenged the validity of search warrants and the speed of his trial. The court found that the affidavits supporting the warrants contained sufficient probable cause and that the district court properly excluded time from the speedy trial calculation.
The Ninth Circuit vacated and remanded a drug trafficking sentence because the district court failed to make explicit factual findings on disputed presentence report objections. The appellate court also found the district court erred by not providing sufficient reasons for denying safety-valve relief.
The Eleventh Circuit dismissed an appeal filed by a defendant who pleaded guilty to drug trafficking offenses. The court held that a valid sentence-appeal waiver in the plea agreement barred the defendant's due process claim regarding a government witness at sentencing.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed the denial of summary judgment against police detectives and a prosecutor in a civil rights suit alleging a reckless investigation and evidence suppression. The court held that genuine disputes of material fact exist regarding whether the defendants violated clearly established law by ignoring exculpatory evidence and coercing witnesses.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed a drug trafficking sentence after finding any alleged errors in the district court's application of sentencing guidelines were harmless. The court held that the district judge would have imposed the same sentence regardless of the defendant's objections.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed the conviction of Theotis Thornton despite noting his appeal was filed one day late. The court held that Thornton's unconditional guilty plea waived his right to challenge the denial of his motion to suppress evidence.
The Seventh Circuit reversed a district court denial of a motion to suppress evidence found in a semitruck. The court held that the traffic stop was a pretextual administrative inspection used solely to investigate a criminal narcotics tip.
The First Circuit vacated a federal sentence for a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, ruling that prior state drug convictions did not qualify as controlled substance offenses under federal sentencing guidelines. The court remanded the case for resentencing because the district court erred in calculating the defendant's base offense level.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a mandatory minimum sentence under the Armed Career Criminal Act for a defendant with prior Georgia cocaine distribution convictions. The court held that Georgia law does not criminalize cocaine isomers outside the federal schedule, so the state statute is not broader than federal law.