US v. Morin, No. 09-40702

Drug Conviction Affirmed

In US v. Morin, No. 09-40702, the court affirmed defendant's convictions for possession with intent to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marihuana and conspiracy to commit that same offense, holding that, even if the district court erred in admitting allegedly profiling testimony, it did not affect defendant's substantial rights.

As the court wrote:  "Jose Santos Morin appeals his conviction for possession with intent to
distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marihuana in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(A) and conspiracy to commit that same offense in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A). Morin challenges the testimony of government witnesses as being impermissible "drug courier profiling" testimony. He also challenges a question asked by the prosecutor during trial. For the following reasons, we find no reversible plain error and affirm the district court's judgment of conviction."

Related Resources

• Read the Ninth Circuit's Decision in US v. Morin, No. 09-40702