USA v. Ernesto Cabanas-Torres

Filing

Opinion issued by court as to Appellant Ernesto Cabanas-Torres. Decision: Affirmed. Opinion type: Non-Published. Opinion method: Per Curiam. The opinion is also available through the Court's Opinions page at this link http://www.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions.

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Date Filed: 11/16/2017

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[DO NOT PUBLISH]

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
________________________
No. 17-10644
Non-Argument Calendar
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D.C. Docket No. 6:16-cr-00055-CEM-KRS-3

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
versus
ERNESTO CABANAS-TORRES,
a.k.a. Peluca,
Defendant-Appellant.
________________________
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Middle District of Florida
________________________
(November 16, 2017)
Before MARCUS, MARTIN, and JULIE CARNES, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:

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Defendant Ernesto Cabanas-Torres appeals his 151-month sentence,
imposed after he pled guilty to conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to
distribute one kilogram or more of heroin. On appeal, he challenges the amount of
drugs attributed to him by the district court. After careful review, we affirm.
I.

BACKGROUND
A.

Facts1

At some point between November 2013 and February 2016, Defendant
joined a drug trafficking organization known as “La Compania.” The organization
used a telephone number referred to as the heroin line to sell heroin to individuals
in the tourist area of Orlando, Florida. After law enforcement officers arrested one
of the organization’s leaders in February 2015, Defendant assumed a leadership
role in the conspiracy. In particular, Defendant controlled the heroin line, directed
the activities of other coconspirators, and permitted coconspirators to use his
barbershop for meetings and to receive heroin. On seven separate occasions,
Defendant sold to undercover agents and confidential informants a total of 457
baggies of heroin, which totaled $4,570.
Defendant admitted to being responsible for at least one kilogram of heroin
based on his conduct and the reasonably foreseeable conduct of his coconspirators.

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These facts are taken from those agreed to by Defendant in his plea agreement.
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Moreover, law enforcement officers conservatively estimated that the organization
sold approximately one kilogram of heroin every two weeks.
B.

Procedural History

In October 2016, Defendant pled guilty pursuant to a written plea agreement
to conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute a controlled
substance, namely one kilogram or more of heroin, in violation of 21 U.S.C.
§§ 841(b)(1)(A) and 846.
In anticipation of sentencing, the probation officer prepared the Presentence
Investigation Report (“PSR”). The PSR assigned Defendant a base offense level of
34, pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1(c)(3) because it found Defendant responsible for
at least 10 but less than 30 kilograms of heroin. He also received a three-level
enhancement under U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1(b) because he was a manager or supervisor
of a criminal conspiracy involving five or more participants. With a three-level
reduction for acceptance of responsibility, Defendant’s total offense level was 34.
Based on a total offense level of 34 and a criminal history category of I, his
guideline range was 151 to 168 months’ imprisonment. Defendant objected to the
base offense level assigned by the PSR, arguing that he was responsible for no
more than one kilogram of heroin.
At the sentencing hearing, Defendant admitted that he was responsible for at
least 1 kilogram of heroin but less than 10 kilograms. Conrad Henry, a special
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agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration, testified that based on
Defendant’s time as a leader of the conspiracy, his coconspirators’ reports about
the volume of weekly heroin sales, and laboratory reports regarding the quantities
of heroin actually seized, Defendant was responsible for distributing 28.7
kilograms of heroin. Defendant objected to Agent Henry’s testimony, asserting
that it was unreliable and based on conjecture. The district court overruled the
objection and concluded that the Government established by a preponderance of
the evidence that Defendant was responsible for at least 10 kilograms of heroin and
that the base offense level of 34 applied. Consequently, the district court sentenced
Defendant to 151 months’ imprisonment. This appeal followed.
II.

DISCUSSION
Defendant argues that the district court erred in calculating his base offense

level by concluding that he was responsible for between 10 and 30 kilograms of
heroin. He also asserts that Agent Henry’s testimony based on the hearsay
statements of Defendant’s coconspirators was unreliable.
We review the district court’s determination of the quantity of drugs
attributable to a defendant for clear error. United States v. Almedina, 686 F.3d
1312, 1315 (11th Cir. 2012). The Government bears the burden of establishing the
drug quantity attributable to a defendant by a preponderance of the evidence. Id.
The district court’s factual findings at sentencing may be based on facts admitted
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by a defendant’s guilty plea, undisputed PSR facts, or evidence presented at a
sentencing hearing. United States v. Wilson, 884 F.2d 1355, 1356 (11th Cir. 1989).
Here, the district court did not clearly err in calculating Defendant’s base
offense level based on its determination that Defendant was responsible for at least
10 kilograms of heroin. The district court noted that its drug quantity
determination was based on the evidence presented at the sentencing hearing, and
more notably on the facts Defendant agreed to in the plea agreement. In fact, the
court stated that, even without the evidence presented at the sentencing hearing, the
Government had established by a preponderance of the evidence that Defendant
was responsible for more than 10 kilograms of heroin. The plea agreement—
which Defendant signed and did not object to—stated that he was a leader of the
conspiracy for 54 weeks, and that during that time “an extremely conservative
estimate of the heroin sold by the [drug-trafficking organization] was 1 kilogram of
heroin every two weeks.” Selling 1 kilogram of heroin every 2 weeks for 54
weeks amounts to a total sale of approximately 27 kilograms of heroin—which is
well within the range of 10 to 30 kilograms required for assigning a base offense
level of 34 under § 2D1.1(c)(3). See United States v. Rodriguez, 398 F.3d 1291,
1296 (11th Cir. 2005) (explaining that the district court is permitted to estimate the
quantity of drugs attributable to a defendant, as long as the estimate is fair,
accurate, and conservative, and the court may use evidence showing the average
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frequency and amount of the drug sales over a specific period); see also U.S.S.G.
§ 2D1.1(c)(3).
Moreover, the PSR facts—to which Defendant did not object—likewise
stated that Defendant led the drug trafficking organization for 54 weeks—from
February 6, 2015 through February 24, 2016—and that the organization distributed
1 kilogram of heroin every 2 weeks, which amounts to approximately 27 kilograms
of heroin during Defendant’s leadership. United States v. Wade, 458 F.3d 1273,
1277 (11th Cir. 2006) (“Failure to object to allegations of fact in a [PSR] admits
those facts for sentencing purposes.”).
Further, Agent Henry testified at the sentencing hearing that Defendant was
responsible for distributing approximately 28.7 kilograms of cocaine based on the
amount of time Defendant served as leader of the drug trafficking organization, his
coconspirators’ reports about the volume of weekly heroin sales, and laboratory
reports pertaining to the quantities of heroin seized in this case. Although
Defendant argues that Agent Henry’s testimony was unreliable hearsay, we need
not even consider this argument because the district court determined, and we
agree, that the stipulated facts in the plea agreement—alone—were sufficient to
establish the drug quantity amount by a preponderance of the evidence. Wilson,
884 F.2d at 1356.

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Nevertheless, to the extent the district court relied on Agent Henry’s hearsay
testimony, it did not err by doing so because the reliability of that testimony is
apparent from the record. United States v. Docampo, 573 F.3d 1091, 1098 (11th
Cir. 2009) (concluding that a court’s failure to make explicit findings about the
reliability of hearsay testimony does not require reversal when the reliability is
apparent from the record). Indeed, the testimony bore a “minimal indicia of
reliability,” as it closely tracked the un-objected to facts set forth in the PSR, as
well as the facts Defendant admitted to in the plea agreement. United States v.
Reme, 738 F.2d 1156, 1167 (11th Cir. 1984) (concluding that hearsay relied on at
sentencing need only have a “minimal indicia of reliability”); see also United
States v. Anderton, 136 F.3d 747, 751 (11th Cir. 1998) (“[A] court may rely on
hearsay at sentencing, as long as the evidence has sufficient indicia of reliability,
the court makes explicit findings of fact as to credibility, and the defendant has an
opportunity to rebut the evidence.”). The district court also listened to Defendant’s
argument pertaining to the reliability of Agent Henry’s testimony and Defendant
had the opportunity to cross-examine Agent Henry. See Anderton, 136 F.3d at
751. In short, we cannot say based on this record that the district court’s
determination that Defendant was responsible for at least 10 but less than 30
kilograms of heroin was clearly erroneous.
Accordingly, Defendant’s sentence is AFFIRMED.
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