United States v. Gonzalez-Rodriguez

Case: 09-40889 Document: 00511240275 Page: 1 Date Filed: 09/21/2010

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT United States Court of Appeals
Fifth Circuit

FILED
September 21, 2010

No. 09-40889 Lyle W. Cayce
Clerk

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff - Appellee
v.

RAFAEL GONZALEZ-RODRIGUEZ,

Defendant - Appellant

Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Southern District of Texas

Before HIGGINBOTHAM, DAVIS, and BENAVIDES, Circuit Judges.

FORTUNATO P. BENAVIDES, Circuit Judge:

Defendant-Appellant Rafael Gonzalez-Rodriguez appeals his conviction for

possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine.

Gonzalez-Rodriguez contends that the evidence presented at trial was

insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he knowingly possessed a

controlled substance. Gonzalez-Rodriguez further contends that the

Government presented improper expert opinion testimony on an ultimate issue,
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No. 09-40889

and also presented improper drug courier profile testimony. Lastly, Gonzalez-

Rodriguez asserts that the Government violated the Speedy Trial Act by failing

to indict him within thirty days of his arrest. For the following reasons, we

affirm Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s conviction.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

On the night of January 31, 2009, Gonzalez-Rodriguez drove a Freightliner

tractor-trailer to the immigration checkpoint in Falfurrias, Texas. Gonzalez-

Rodriguez was accompanied by his son, Jose De Jesus Gonzalez-Lopez.1

The Freightliner was carrying a shipment of grapefruits destined for a Costco

warehouse in Dallas, Texas. The grapefruits had been loaded earlier that day

at Interstate Fruit and Vegetable Company, Inc. in Donna, Texas, a city near the

Mexican border.

Border Patrol Agents Abel Quintana and Victor Valdez were on duty at the

Falfurrias checkpoint when Gonzalez-Rodriguez arrived at approximately 11:26

P.M. Agent Valdez is a trained K-9 handler and was with his canine, Ringo. As

Gonzalez-Rodriguez approached the primary inspection area, Ringo pulled Agent

Valdez to the back of the Freightliner. Agent Valdez signaled to Agent Quintana

1
An application for Texas certificate of title, found inside the Freightliner, shows that
Gonzalez-Rodriguez transferred title of the Freightliner to his son’s wife, Evelyn Gonzalez, on
January 22, 2009.

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that Ringo had alerted to the trailer, and Agent Quintana asked Gonzalez-

Rodriguez to drive to a secondary inspection area.

At secondary inspection, Agent Valdez noticed a shiny new silver lock on

the trailer and asked Gonzalez-Rodriguez to open the trailer door. After

Gonzalez-Rodriguez opened the door, Ringo jumped on top of grapefruit bins

stacked two high and ran full speed to the front of the trailer. Ringo started

digging through a particular bin of grapefruits. Agent Valdez crawled to the

area where Ringo was digging, moved some bags of grapefruits, and discovered

bundles bearing an image of the grim reaper. Agent Valdez, with the assistance

of other agents, ultimately recovered 124 such bundles weighing a total of 312.5

pounds. The bundles had been placed in the center of five different grapefruit

bins, with grapefruits layered on all sides. The bundles contained extremely

high quality methamphetamine, referred to as “ice” due to its purity, with an

estimated street value of $10 to $40 million.

A bill of lading and log book were recovered from the Freightliner. The bill

of lading was prepared by Interstate Fruit and indicates that Order 5349

contained 40 bins of 15-pound bags of grapefruit destined for a Costco warehouse

in Dallas. Interstate Fruit’s shed foreman testified that Order 5349 left

Interstate at 12:56 P.M. The log book’s latest entry, on the other hand, states

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that “Pickup #4359” was made at 9:45 P.M. The log book was signed by

Gonzalez-Rodriguez. It normally takes about one and one-half hours to drive

from Interstate Fruit’s warehouse in Donna to the immigration checkpoint in

Falfurrias.

Gonzalez-Rodriguez was arrested on January 31, 2009 and made an initial

appearance before a magistrate judge on February 2, 2009. The Government

made an oral motion for pretrial detention at the initial appearance, and the

magistrate judge entered an order of temporary detention pending hearing.

After a detention hearing on February 5, 2009, the magistrate judge denied bond

and remanded Gonzalez-Rodriguez to federal custody.

On March 3, 2009, Gonzalez-Rodriguez was indicted on one count of

possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine

in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(A). Later that day, Gonzalez-

Rodriguez moved to dismiss the indictment on grounds that his rights under the

Speedy Trial Act had been violated. On March 30, 2009, the district court held

a hearing on the motion. At the hearing, the Government conceded that the

indictment was not filed within 30 days due to an oversight and miscalculation

of days, but nonetheless argued that the Act was not violated because the period

from February 2-5, 2009 was an excludable delay under 18 U.S.C. 3161(h)(1).

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On April 2, 2009, the district court denied Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s motion to

dismiss. The district court held that the Government’s oral motion for pretrial

detention was a “pretrial motion” for purposes of 18 U.S.C. § 3161(h)(1)(D), and

therefore the period from February 2-5, 2009 did not count towards the 30 days

within which the Government needed to file an indictment.

An initial jury trial was held from April 29 - May 1, 2009. The trial ended

in a mistrial after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict. A second

jury trial was held from June 15-16, 2009. The evidence presented in the second

trial was substantially the same as in the first trial, except the government

added the expert testimony of Special Agent Robert Crawford of the Drug

Enforcement Administration (DEA). Drawing on over 19 years of DEA

experience, Agent Crawford testified that m ost large quantity

methamphetamine in this country is produced in Mexico by drug organizations

and transported to the United States by drug couriers for distribution. He

stated that he would “classify” the majority of people arrested at immigration

checkpoints as couriers, and that couriers generally are at the bottom of drug

organizations and do not actually handle the drugs they transport. Agent

Crawford explained that this is to reduce the cost of the courier’s services, and

also to ensure that the courier has little information that could be traced back

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to the broader organization. Because drug couriers typically do not handle

drugs, Agent Crawford testified that a courier probably did not hide the

methamphetamine in Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s trailer, and thus Agent Crawford did

not expect to find, and was not surprised when he did not find, Gonzalez-

Rodriguez’s fingerprints on the bundles of methamphetamine. Agent Crawford

additionally testified that large drug organizations often seek couriers with no

criminal history to give an appearance of legitimacy to their operation. For a

similar reason, Agent Crawford stated that drug organizations often try to hide

their illegitimate contraband in seemingly legitimate places for transportation.

He explained that drugs often are hidden in “false walls, false compartments,

they will put it in engines, they will put it in tires, they will put it in produce just

various different particular ways.” Indeed, Agent Crawford asserted that the

“first thing” he wanted to know when conducting his investigation was whether

the Freightliner was carrying a “legitimate load.” Agent Crawford further

testified that two drain holes in the Freightliner’s trailer had been plugged, and

that this indicated an effort to impede a detectable drug odor. Finally, Agent

Crawford suggested that Gonzalez-Rodriguez must have known about the drugs

in the Freightliner because he falsified the Freightliner’s log book. Gonzalez-

Rodriguez did not object to any of this testimony.

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In closing argument, Gonzalez-Rodriguez drew the jury’s attention to

Agent Crawford’s inability to find Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s fingerprints on the

methamphetamine, and also to Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s lack of criminal history.

In rebuttal, the Government argued:

As Agent Crawford told you, he didn’t expect that to be – there to be
any prints there. That wouldn’t make sense. That’s not the way the
drug organizations work. He’s hired to drive it from point A to point
B. The drug organization doesn’t want him with his hands on the
packages. They don’t even want him to know exactly how much he’s
got on there. They don’t want him probably to even know exactly
where it is. That helps him out later because he doesn’t know as
much.

***

Now, of course, [the drug organization]’s going to look for somebody,
a driver, . . . somebody without a criminal history. That’s the type
of person exactly they’re going to be looking for.

***

Whoever lied on that log book is hiding a critical fact. He’s trying
to make it look like he went straight from the interstate to the
checkpoint, and it didn’t happen. Why would he lie? Why would he
lie? There’s only one reason he would lie. There’s only one reason,
because he’s guilty, because he knows.

Gonzalez-Rodriguez did not object to the Government’s argument.

Gonzalez-Rodriguez moved for a judgment of acquittal at the end of the

Government’s case in chief, which the district court denied. The jury ultimately

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returned a guilty verdict on count one of the indictment, and the district court

sentenced Gonzalez-Rodriguez to 235 months in prison followed by five years of

supervised release. Gonzalez-Rodriguez appealed on August 27, 2009. We have

jurisdiction over the district court’s final judgment of conviction and sentence

pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291.

II. DISCUSSION

Gonzalez-Rodriguez asserts that the evidence presented at his second trial

was insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he knowingly possessed

a controlled substance. Gonzalez-Rodriguez further contends that Agent

Crawford presented improper expert opinion testimony on an ultimate issue, and

also presented improper drug courier profile testimony. Finally, Gonzalez-

Rodriguez contends that the Government violated his rights under the Speedy

Trial Act.

A. Sufficiency of the Evidence

Gonzalez-Rodriguez asserts that the evidence presented at his second trial

was insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he had knowledge of

the drugs hidden in the Freightliner. Because Gonzalez-Rodriguez moved for a

judgment of acquittal at trial, we review the district court’s denial of his motion

by examining the evidence and all reasonable inferences drawn therefrom in the

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light most favorable to the verdict, and asking whether a rational trier of fact

could have found the element of knowledge of possession beyond a reasonable

doubt. See United States v. Montes, 602 F.3d 381, 388 (5th Cir. 2010).

As a general rule, a jury may infer that a defendant has knowledge of

drugs in a vehicle when the defendant exercises control over the vehicle. See,

e.g., United States v. Resio-Trejo, 45 F.3d 907, 911 (5th Cir. 1995); United States

v. Mireles, 471 F.3d 551, 556 (5th Cir. 2006). When drugs are hidden in a secret

compartment, however, guilty knowledge may not be inferred solely from the

defendant’s control of the vehicle because there “is at least a fair assumption

that a third party might have concealed the controlled substances in the vehicle

with the intent to use the unwitting defendant as the carrier in a smuggling

enterprise.” Resio-Trejo, 45 F.3d at 911. In secret compartment cases, this

Court requires additional circumstantial evidence that is suspicious in nature

and demonstrates guilty knowledge. See, e.g., Mireles, 471 F.3d at 556; United

States v. Franklin, 561 F.3d 398, 403 (5th Cir. 2009); United States v. Garza, 990

F.2d 171, 174 (5th Cir. 1993).

There is sufficient suspicious circumstantial evidence in this case to

support Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s conviction. First, although Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s

mere control of the Freightliner is insufficient to prove his knowledge of the

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concealed drugs, see United States v. Pennington, 20 F.3d 593, 598 (5th Cir.

1994), control is still a factor that the jury may consider. A packing house

manager and shed foreman at Interstate Fruit testified that it would have been

almost impossible for the methamphetamine to be loaded into the Freightliner

without detection at Interstate Fruit’s warehouse. The packing house manager

testified that a driver becomes responsible for a load once he signs a bill of lading

and leaves Interstate Fruit, and the shed foreman testified that the load of

grapefruits was turned over by Interstate Fruit to Gonzalez-Rodriguez at 12:56

P.M. A reasonable jury could infer from this evidence that the

methamphetamine was concealed in the grapefruit load only after it left

Interstate Fruit’s warehouse, and only after Gonzalez-Rodriguez became

responsible for the load. Moreover, a general manager from Costco testified as

to the difficulty of unloading drugs from a trailer without detection at Costco’s

Dallas distribution center. A reasonable jury could rely on this testimony to

discredit an assumption that a third party planned to secretly unload the

methamphetamine at Costco’s facility. Together, evidence that the

methamphetamine was not loaded at Interstate Fruit’s warehouse and was

unlikely to be unloaded at Costco’s facility suggests that the methamphetamine

was in fact loaded while the Freightliner was under Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s

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responsibility and control. This is suspicious circumstantial evidence that

Gonzalez-Rodriguez knew drugs were in the Freightliner.

Second, a reasonable jury could find that there was a suspicious gap in

time between when Gonzalez-Rodriguez left Interstate Fruit’s warehouse and

arrived at the Falfurrias immigration checkpoint. The evidence indicates that

Gonzalez-Rodriguez left Interstate Fruit with the grapefruits at 12:56 P.M. The

evidence also indicates that Gonzalez-Rodriguez did not arrive at the Falfurrias

checkpoint until 11:26 P.M., although the trip usually takes only about one and

one-half hours. The jury could have inferred from this gap of approximately nine

hours that there was sufficient opportunity to load the methamphetamine

bundles into the Freightliner while it was under Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s control.

It is true that the log book, bearing Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s signature, states that

Gonzalez-Rodriguez picked up the grapefruit load at Interstate Fruit at 9:45

P.M. But the jury was entitled to credit the neutral testimony of Interstate

Fruit’s shed foreman over Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s self-serving log book.

Third, Agent Valdez testified that the trailer’s lock looked shiny and new

and was a heavier type of lock than he typically observed at the immigration

checkpoint. Agent Valdez also testified that Gonzalez-Rodriguez had a key to

the lock and was able to open the trailer at the checkpoint. The jury could

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reasonably infer that Gonzalez-Rodriguez had control over the contents placed

in the trailer, and that the drugs could not have been concealed in or removed

from the trailer without Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s knowledge. This inference would

be supported by the meticulous and apparently time consuming manner in

which the methamphetamine bundles were hidden in the grapefruit bins.

Fourth, there is evidence that Gonzalez-Rodriguez was transporting 312.5

pounds of methamphetamine worth approximately $10 to $40 million. A jury

could reasonably infer that Gonzalez-Rodriguez would not have been entrusted

with such a large amount and high value of methamphetamine unless he knew

he was part of the drug trafficking scheme. See United States v. Villarreal, 324

F.3d 319, 324 (5th Cir. 2003) (finding jury could reasonably infer knowledge from

presence of drugs worth $300,000). This is particularly true when, as here, there

is evidence that it would have been very difficult to unload the drugs without

detection at the truck’s final destination.

Taken together, this circumstantial evidence is suspicious, and it is also

sufficient for a reasonable jury to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that

Gonzalez-Rodriguez knew the drugs were in the Freightliner. Gonzalez-

Rodriguez’s conviction is therefore AFFIRMED.

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Briefly, we acknowledge Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s contention that the

Government failed to provide sufficient evidence that he knew the type and

quantity of drugs in the Freightliner. As Gonzalez-Rodriguez recognizes, this

ground for reversal is foreclosed by Fifth Circuit precedent. In United States v.

Gamez-Gonzalez, we held that the Government was not required to prove a

defendant’s knowledge of drug type and quantity in a drug prosecution under 21

U.S.C. § 841. 319 F.3d 695, 700 (5th Cir. 2003). Gonzalez-Rodriguez draws our

attention to the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Flores-Figueroa v. United

States, 129 S. Ct. 1886, 173 L. Ed. 2d 853 (2009), a case involving a prosecution

for identity theft under 18 U.S.C. § 1028(A)(a)(1). In Flores-Figueroa, a

defendant was convicted of “knowingly . . . possess[ing] . . . without lawful

authority, a means of identification of another person.” 129 S. Ct at 1889. The

Supreme Court held that the Government was required to prove that the

defendant both knowingly possessed the means of identification, and also knew

that the means of identification in fact belonged to another person. Id. at 1894.

We have recently held that Flores-Figuroa did not overrule Gamez-Gonzalez, and

confirmed that the Government need not prove a defendant’s knowledge of the

type and quantity of drugs. United States v. Betancourt, 586 F.3d 303, 309 (5th

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Cir. 2009). We follow this precedent in affirming Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s

conviction.

B. Agent Crawford’s Testimony

Gonzalez-Rodriguez contends that we should reverse his conviction on

grounds that Agent Crawford offered an expert opinion on the ultimate issue of

knowledge. Relatedly, Gonzalez-Rodriguez also contends that we should reverse

on grounds that Agent Crawford presented impermissible drug courier profile

evidence. Although we find plain error, we do not find reversible error.

1. Basic Principles

We review the admission of Agent Crawford’s testimony for plain error

because Gonzalez-Rodriguez did not object to the testimony at trial. United

States v. Ramirez-Velasquez, 322 F.3d 868, 878-79 (5th Cir. 2003). We may not

correct an error that a defendant failed to raise in the district court unless the

error is plain and also affects the defendant’s substantial rights. See United

States v. Garcia, 567 F.3d 721, 726 (5th Cir. 2009); Fed. R. Crim. P. 52(b). An

error is plain if it is at least “clear under current law.” United States v. Olano,

507 U.S. 725, 734 (1993). We have stated that the error must be “so clear or

obvious that the trial judge and prosecutor were derelict in countenancing it,

even absent the defendant’s timely assistance in detecting it.” United States v.

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Trejo, 610 F.3d 308, 319 (5th Cir. 2010) (internal quotations omitted). As a

general rule, an error affects a defendant’s substantial rights only if the error

was prejudicial. Olano, 507 U.S. at 734. Error is prejudicial if there is a

reasonable probability that the result of the proceedings would have been

different but for the error. See United States v. Holmes, 406 F.3d 337, 365 (5th

Cir. 2005) (citing United States v. Dominguez Benitez, 542 U.S. 74, 81, 124 S. Ct.

2333, 2339, 159 L. Ed. 2d 157 (2004)). The probability of a different result must

be sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome of the proceedings. Id. The

defendant bears the burden of demonstrating that a plain error affects his

substantial rights. Olano, 507 U.S. at 734-35. Finally, even if a plain error

affects a defendant’s substantial rights, we do not exercise our discretion to

correct the error unless it seriously affects the fairness, integrity, and public

reputation of the judicial proceeding. Id. at 735; United States v. Mares, 402

F.3d 511, 520 (5th Cir. 2005). When a defendant does not timely object to an

error at trial, satisfying the requirements for error correction is “difficult, as it

should be.” Puckett v. United States, 129 S. Ct. 1423, 1429, 173 L. Ed. 2d 266

(2009) (quotations omitted).

Under the Federal Rules of Evidence, a qualified expert witness may offer

reliable opinion testimony if specialized knowledge will assist the trier of fact to

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understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue. Fed. R. Evid. 702. In

a criminal case, however, an expert witness may not offer an opinion or inference

as to whether the defendant did or did not have the mental state or condition

constituting an element of the crime charged. Fed. R. Evid. 704(b). The

ultimate issues in a criminal case “are matters for the trier of fact alone.” Id.

Thus, although we have held that a qualified narcotics agent typically may

testify about the significance of certain conduct or methods of operation unique

to the drug business so long as the testimony is helpful and its relevance is not

substantially outweighed by the possibility of unfair prejudice or confusion, see

United States v. Garcia, 86 F.3d 394, 400 (5th Cir. 1996); United States v.

Washington, 44 F.3d 1271, 1282-83 (5th Cir. 1995) (collecting authorities); Fed.

R. Evid. 403, we have also recognized that such testimony is not admissible if it

amounts to the “functional equivalent” of an opinion that the defendant knew he

was carrying drugs, United States v. Gutierrez-Farias, 294 F.3d 657, 663-64 (5th

Cir. 2002).

A drug courier profile is a compilation of characteristics used by law

enforcement officers to identify individuals who might be involved in the

trafficking of narcotics. See United States v. Williams, 957 F.2d 1238, 1241-42

(5th Cir. 1992). In cases involving pure profile evidence, law enforcement

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personnel seek to testify that because a defendant’s conduct matches the profile

of a drug courier, the defendant must have known about the drugs he was

transporting. See United States v. Sanchez-Hernandez, 507 F.3d 826, 832 (5th

Cir. 2007). We have repeatedly held that drug courier profile evidence is

“inadmissible to prove substantive guilt based on similarities between

defendants and a profile.” United States v. Brito, 136 F.3d 397, 412 (5th Cir.

1998); see also United States v. Mendoza-Medina, 346 F.3d 121, 128 (5th Cir.

2003); Gutierrez-Farias, 294 F.3d at 662; Williams, 957 F.2d at 1241. This is

because profile evidence may amount to the functional equivalent of an expert

opinion that the defendant knew he was carrying drugs, see Mendoza-Medina,

346 F.3d at 128; Fed. R. Evid. 704(b), and also because profile evidence is likely

to be overinclusive and its probative value low in relation to its prejudicial effect,

see Williams, 957 F.2d at 1242; Fed R. Evid. 403. That an individual fits a

generic drug courier profile does not mean that the individual knew he was

carrying drugs in a particular case, and “[i]t is the evidence showing the person’s

connection to drug trafficking that must form the basis for the conviction.”

Williams, 957 F.2d at 1242. Although the Government may introduce evidence

that the defendant exhibited the individual behaviors that make up a drug

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courier profile, the Government may not define the profile or suggest that the

defendant’s behavior in fact fit the profile. Id.

2. Agent Crawford’s Statements

As suggested above, there is a fine but critical line between expert

testimony concerning methods of operation unique to the drug business, and

testimony comparing a defendant’s conduct to the generic profile of a drug

courier. The former may permissibly help a jury understand the significance

and implications of other evidence presented at trial. See Garcia, 86 F.3d at 400

(upholding agent’s testimony as to how large drug trafficking organizations

operate); Sanchez-Hernandez, 507 F.3d at 832 (same). The latter may

impermissibly suggest that an innocent civilian had knowledge of drug activity.

See Mendoza-Medina, 346 F.3d at 129; United States v. Ibarra, 493 F.3d 526, 532

(5th Cir. 2007); Gutierrez-Farias, 294 F.3d at 663; Ramirez-Velazquez, 332 F.3d

at 878-79; Williams, 957 F.2d at 1241. In determining which side of the line

testimony falls in any particular case, context is necessarily important. See

Williams, 957 F.2d at 1241-42. The inquiry does not turn on magic words, and

the purpose of the inquiry must be to determine whether expert testimony is the

“functional equivalent” of an opinion that the defendant knew he was carrying

drugs. Gutierrez-Farias, 294 F.3d at 663-64.

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Gonzalez-Rodriguez contends that the district court committed reversible

error in permitting Agent Crawford to testify that: (a) drug organizations seek

couriers to transport drugs; (b) large drug organizations seek couriers with no

criminal history; (c) drug organizations often try to conceal drugs in legitimate

places; (d) the majority of people arrested at checkpoints are couriers; (e) the

“first thing” Agent Crawford wanted to know when conducting his investigation

was whether the Freightliner was carrying a “legitimate load”; (f) a courier

probably would not have been the person who hid the methamphetamine in the

grapefruit load; (g) Agent Crawford was not surprised that Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s

fingerprints were not found on the methamphetamine because couriers’

fingerprints rarely are found on the drugs they transport; (h) two drain holes in

the Freightliner’s trailer had been blocked to impede a detectable drug odor; and

(i) Gonzalez-Rodriguez must have known about the drugs because he falsified

the Freightliner’s log book. Gonzalez-Rodriguez did not object to any of this

testimony. Although we conclude that the district court plainly erred in

admitting some of the testimony, we also find that the error did not affect

Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s substantial rights.

(a) No Error

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As a preliminary matter, we find that the district court did not err in

permitting Agent Crawford to testify that most large quantity

methamphetamine is produced in Mexico; that drug organizations use couriers

to transport drugs to the United States for distribution; that drug organizations

often transport drugs by hiding them in seemingly legitimate places; that

couriers normally do not handle drugs; that a courier probably would not have

been the person who hid the methamphetamine in the grapefruit; and that

Agent Crawford therefore was not surprised when he did not find Gonzalez-

Rodriguez’s fingerprints on the bundles of methamphetamine. This testimony

discusses the basic business model for running large quantity methamphetamine

across the border from Mexico to the United States. See Sanchez-Hernandez,

507 F.3d at 832-33 (upholding admission of testimony about how drugs and are

typically smuggled across the Rio Grande River); Garcia, 86 F.3d at 400

(upholding admission of testimony that large drug trafficking organizations

commonly use ‘car swaps,’ ‘stash houses,’ and conduct ‘heat runs.’”). This is

specialized information that would help a jury understand why the

methamphetamine was hidden the way it was, and also rebut Gonzalez-

Rodriguez’s emphasis that his fingerprints were not found on the

methamphetamine. See Sanchez-Hernandez, 507 F.3d 833 (upholding admission

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of “not pure profile evidence” when offered to rebut defendant’s innocent

explanations). Furthermore, this testimony is not pure drug courier profile

testimony. Although the testimony describes the typical role of a drug courier

in a large drug organization, it does not describe the telltale signs of a drug

courier itself. In other words, the testimony does not provide a basis for

distinguishing a drug courier from an unsuspecting innocent citizen. The

testimony thus presents relatively little risk that Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s

conviction would be based on evidence other than his actual connection to the

drug trafficking crime. Finally, Agent Crawford’s testimony that drug couriers

typically do not handle and hide the drugs they transport is not the “functional

equivalent” of an opinion that Gonzalez-Rodriguez knew he was transporting the

drugs in this case. Agent Crawford’s testimony may have helped explain why

Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s fingerprints were not found on the bundles of

methamphetamine, but it did not express an opinion that Gonzalez-Rodriguez

was in fact a courier, or that Gonzalez-Rodriguez in fact knew of the presence of

drugs. For all of these reasons, we find that the above aspects of Agent

Crawford’s testimony would have been helpful to the jury and were not the

functional equivalent of an opinion on the ultimate issue of knowledge or

impermissible drug courier profile testimony.

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Separately, we find that there was no error in permitting Agent Crawford

to testify that two drain holes in the Freightliner’s trailer had been blocked to

mask a detectable drug odor. Agent Crawford had personal knowledge of the

blocked drain holes through his investigation, and he expressed an opinion,

based on his extensive experience, that the blockage was designed to conceal

drug odors from trained canines. This testimony simply described the state and

significance of the crime scene as Agent Crawford found it. The testimony did

not implicate the profile of a typical drug courier, and it also did not express an

opinion that Gonzalez-Rodriguez knew he was transporting drugs. The

testimony was admissible.

(b) Plain Error

Other aspects of Agent Crawford’s testimony went beyond the mere

methods of operation unique to the drug business. Agent Crawford’s testimony

that drug couriers generally have no criminal history is classic profile testimony:

it describes a characteristic used by law enforcement officers to identify an

individual who might be a drug courier. See Mendoza-Medina, 346 F.3d at 127

(rejecting expert testimony that drug couriers generally bring their wives and

children along to mask the drug trafficking offense). Agent Crawford’s

testimony suggested to the jury that Gonzalez-Rodriguez was a drug courier

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No. 09-40889

because he had no criminal history. Indeed, the Government argued in closing

that an individual with no criminal history is “the type of person exactly they’re

going to be looking for.” Suggesting to the jury that Gonzalez-Rodriguez was a

drug courier because he had no criminal history is not only overbroad and

unhelpful, it is also the functional equivalent of an opinion that Gonzalez-

Rodriguez knew he was carrying drugs because he had no criminal history. It

was plain error to admit this testimony.

Similarly over the line was Agent Crawford’s testimony that the “first

thing” he wanted to know when conducting his investigation was whether the

Freightliner was carrying a “legitimate load,” such as “produce.” This testimony

was not simply an explanation that drug organizations often try to conceal drugs

in legitimate places for transportation. It was also a suggestion that law

enforcement officers look for legitimate loads to identify drug couriers. In other

words, Agent Crawford suggested that Gonzalez-Rodriguez was a drug courier

because he was transporting a legitimate load of grapefruits. The suggestion

was overbroad and unhelpful, and it was also the functional equivalent of an

opinion that Gonzalez-Rodriguez knew he was carrying drugs because he knew

he was carrying grapefruit. Admitting this testimony was plainly erroneous.

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No. 09-40889

The district court also plainly erred in admitting Agent Crawford’s

testimony that Gonzalez-Rodriguez must have known about the drugs because

he falsified the Freightliner’s log book. On direct examination, the following

exchange took place between the Government and Agent Crawford:

Q. And so in your experience what’s the point of falsifying a log
book to show that you picked up much later in the day?

A. Just based on what I see and through the early part of the
investigation, that would leave me to suspect that something
illegally took place.

***

Q. So in your experience would a person who knows that he’s
carrying drugs want to hide the fact that he took so much time from
the time he picked up to the time he got to the checkpoint?

A. “Yes, sir.”

Pure and simple, Agent Crawford offered an expert opinion that Gonzalez-

Rodriguez must have known he was carrying drugs because he falsified the

Freightliner’s log book. The jury was free to determine for itself whether

Gonzalez-Rodriguez falsified the log book and, if so, whether this suggested

knowledge of drugs. It was plain error, however, for Agent Crawford to draw the

connection. See Fed. R. Evid. 704(b) (providing that “ultimate issues are matters

for the trier of fact alone”); see also Gutierrez-Farias, 294 F.3d at 662-63.

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No. 09-40889

Finally, the district court plainly erred in admitting Agent Crawford’s

testimony that the majority of people arrested at immigration checkpoints are

couriers. This testimony implied that Gonzalez-Rodriguez was a drug courier,

and therefore knew he was carrying drugs, because he was arrested at a

checkpoint. Of course, Gonzalez-Rodriguez is presumed innocent until proven

guilty, and it was the Government’s burden to prove that Gonzalez-Rodriguez

was properly in custody because he was a drug courier. The Government

impermissibly put the cart before the horse. See, e.g., United States v.

Labarbera, 581 F.2d 107, 108-09 (5th Cir. 1978) (stating that evidence of an

arrest not admissible for the purpose of proving the conduct for which a person

was arrested).

(c) Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s Substantial Rights

Although plain error was committed in this case, Gonzalez-Rodriguez has

failed to demonstrate that the error affected his substantial rights. As already

discussed, even excluding Agent Crawford’s impermissible testimony, there is

still extensive evidence that Gonzalez-Rodriguez knew about the drugs in the

Freightliner. See Gutierrez-Farias, 294 F.3d at 662; Brito, 136 F.3d at 412-13.

The Government presented evidence that the methamphetamine was not loaded

at Interstate Fruit’s warehouse and was unlikely to be unloaded at Costco’s

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No. 09-40889

facility. This suggests that the methamphetamine was in fact loaded and would

have been unloaded while the Freightliner was under Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s

responsibility and control. The testimony of Interstate Fruit’s shed foreman

indicates that Gonzalez-Rodriguez left Interstate Fruit with the grapefruit load

at 12:56 P.M., yet Gonzalez-Rodriguez did not reach the immigration checkpoint

until 11:26 P.M. This suggests a sufficient opportunity for the drugs to be

meticulously hidden in the grapefruit bins while the Freightliner was under

Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s control. There is evidence that Gonzalez-Rodriguez had

the key to the lock on the trailer. This suggests that the drugs could not have

been hidden in or unloaded from the trailer without Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s

knowledge. Finally, a jury could infer that Gonzalez-Rodriguez would not have

been entrusted with 312.5 pounds of methamphetamine worth over $10 million

unless he knew he was part of a drug trafficking scheme.

We recognize that Agent Crawford’s testimony appears to have played an

important role in this case: without Agent Crawford’s testimony, the first jury

failed to return a unanimous verdict; with Agent Crawford’s testimony, a second

jury unanimously convicted Gonzalez-Rodriguez. Were it the Government’s

burden to establish harmless error beyond a reasonable doubt, our conclusion

today might be different. See Ibarra, 493 F.3d at 532; see also Dominguez

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No. 09-40889

Benitez, 542 U.S. at 82 n.7 (“When the Government has the burden of addressing

prejudice, as in excusing preserved error as harmless on direct review of the

criminal conviction, it is not enough to negate an effect on the outcome of the

case.”). Because he did not object to Agent Crawford’s testimony at trial,

however, it is Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s burden to demonstrate a reasonable

probability that his trial would have come out differently but for the illegitimate

aspects of Agent Crawford’s testimony. See Dominguez Benitez, 542 U.S. at 81;

Holmes, 406 F.3d at 365. We find that Gonzalez-Rodriguez has not met this

burden. First, we observe that Agent Crawford’s illegitimate testimony is an

imperfect explanatory variable: the different results in Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s

trials may be explained by Agent Crawford’s considerable legitimate testimony,

or also by the mere presence of different jurors. Most of Agent Crawford’s

testimony concerned the extent of the Government’s investigation into the case

and methods unique to the business of smuggling large quantity

methamphetamine across the Mexican border. This testimony was legitimate

and pertinent and not presented at Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s first trial. In other

words, that Gonzalez-Rodriguez was convicted only after Agent Crawford

testified tells us little. Second, although Agent Crawford’s ultimate conclusions

about the Freightliner’s logbook were improper, his initial testimony about the

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No. 09-40889

contents of the logbook was not. Even without Agent Crawford’s improper

opinion, it would have been straightforward for the jury to conclude that

Gonzalez-Rodriguez falsified the log book based on its discrepancies with

objective witness testimony, and thus to infer that Gonzalez-Rodriguez knew he

was transporting drugs. Agent Crawford’s ultimate opinion, although improper,

was unlikely to have swayed the jury’s conclusion. Finally, after reviewing the

record as a whole, and in light of all the other evidence supporting Gonzalez-

Rodriguez’s conviction, we find no reasonable probability that the conviction

hinged on Agent Crawford’s testimony that drug couriers often have no criminal

history, transport legitimate loads, and are arrested at immigration checkpoints.

Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s conviction is AFFIRMED.

C. Speedy Trial Act and Excludable Delay

Gonzalez-Rodriguez contends that the district court erred in denying his

motion to dismiss the indictment under the Speedy Trial Act. We review the

district court’s factual findings for clear error and its legal conclusions de novo.

See United States v. Harris, 566 F.3d 422, 428 (5th Cir. 2009).

The Speedy Trial Act is designed to protect a criminal defendant’s

constitutional right to a speedy trial, and also to serve the public’s interest in

prompt criminal proceedings. United States v. Stephens, 489 F.3d 647, 652 (5th

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No. 09-40889

Cir.2007). The Act thus provides that “[a]ny . . . indictment charging an

individual with the commission of an offense shall be filed within thirty days

from the date on which such individual was arrested . . . .” 18 U.S.C. § 3161(b).

The Act excludes certain periods of delay, however, in computing this 30-day

window. Id. § 3161(h). Specifically, the Act excludes “[a]ny period of delay

resulting from other proceedings concerning the defendant,” id. § 3161(h)(1),

including but not limited to “delay resulting from any pretrial motion, from the

filing of the motion through the conclusion of the hearing on, or other prompt

disposition of, such motion,” id. § 3161(h)(1)(D). We have held that the day on

which a pretrial motion is made and the day on which the hearing is held are

both excluded for purposes of computing excludable delay under 18 U.S.C. §

3161(h)(1)(D). See United States v. Kington, 875 F.2d 1091, 1107 (5th Cir. 1989).

Gonzalez-Rodriguez contends that the proceedings on the Government’s motion

for detention do not qualify as excludable delay because an oral motion is not

“fil[ed]” within the meaning of § 3161(h)(1)(D).

We see no reason why an oral motion would not trigger the excludable

delay contemplated by § 3161(h)(1)(D). The Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure

permit oral as well as written pretrial motions. See Fed. R. Crim. P. 12(b), 47(b).

The Guidelines to the Administration of the Speedy Trial Act of 1974 recognize

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No. 09-40889

that the “starting date” for “delay resulting from hearings on pretrial motions”

is the “[d]ate the motion is filed or made orally.” Committee on the

Administration of the Criminal Law of the Judicial Conference of the United

States, Guidelines to the Administration of the Speedy Trial Act of 1974, As

Amended, 106 F.R.D. 271, 288 (1984). Furthermore, the purpose of

§ 3161(h)(1)(D) is to “exclude all time that is consumed in placing the trial court

in a position to dispose of a motion,” Henderson, 476 U.S. at 331, and a

formalistic distinction between written and oral pretrial motions would not

advance this purpose. The four-day period from February 2-5, 2009 was time

consumed in placing the district court in a position to dispose of the

Government’s motion to detain Gonzalez-Rodriguez pending trial. The period

is therefore within the ambit of § 3161(h)(1)(D). See United States v. Green, 508

F.3d 195, 200 (5th Cir. 2007) (holding that “any pretrial motion” tolls the speedy

trial clock). We join almost all of our sister circuits in holding that when an oral

pretrial motion is made on the record with both parties present, it is “filed” just

like a written motion for purposes of § 3161(h)(1)(D).1 Cf. United States v.

1
See, e.g., United States v. Taylor, 497 F.3d 673, 676 (D.C. Cir. 2007) (finding former
§ 3161(h)(1)(F) “triggered by written and oral motions alike”); United States v. Rodriguez, 63
F.3d 1159, 1164-65 (1st Cir. 1995) (same); United States v. Nixon, 779 F.2d 126, 130-31 (2d
Cir. 1985) (same); United States v. Arbelaez, 7 F.3d 344, 347 (3d Cir. 1993) (same); United
States v. Willis, 996 F.2d 1213, at *1 n.2 (4th Cir. 1993) (table) (same); United States v.

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No. 09-40889

McKnight, 570 F.3d 641, 650 (5th Cir. 2009) (observing that counsel “filed an

oral motion”); United States v. Dien Duc Huynh, 246 F.3d 734, 736 (5th Cir.

2001) (same); United States v. DeMaio, 28 F.3d 588, 589 (7th Cir. 1994) (same,

at initial appearance).

We recognize that the Supreme Court has recently stated that “only the

delay that occurs ‘from the filing of the motion through the conclusion of the

hearing on, or other prompt disposition of’ the motion” may be excluded under

§ 3161(h)(1)(D). Bloate v. United States, 130 S. Ct. 1345, 1353, 176 L. Ed. 54

(2010). In Bloate, the Supreme Court held that a mere extension of time to file

pretrial motions, as opposed to the filing of a pretrial motion itself, does not

trigger excludable delay under § 3161(h)(1)(D). This holding does not help

Gonzalez-Rodriguez. That excludable delay under § 3161(h)(1)(D) begins only

upon the filing of a pretrial motion has nothing to do with whether an oral

pretrial motion is deemed filed in the first place. As already discussed, we find

that an oral pretrial motion made on the record with both parties present is filed

for purposes of § 3161(h)(1)(D).

Richmond, 735 F.2d 208, 212 (6th Cir. 1984) (same); United States v. Moses, 15 F.3d 774, 776
n.3 (8th Cir. 1994) (same); United States v. Pasquale, 25 F.3d 948, 950-51 (10th Cir. 1994)
(same); United States v. Broadwater, 151 F.3d 1359, 1361 (11th Cir. 1998) (per curiam) (same).

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No. 09-40889

Not counting the period from February 2-5, 2009, Gonzalez-Rodriguez was

indicted only twenty seven days after his arrest. Because twenty-seven days is

less than thirty days, we conclude that the Government did not violate the

Speedy Trial Act. Gonzalez-Rodriguez’s conviction must be AFFIRMED.

C ONCLUSION
Gonzalez-Rodriguez has not shown that the evidence presented at trial

was insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he knowingly possessed

with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Gonzalez-Rodriguez also has

not shown that the plainly erroneous aspects of Agent Crawford’s testimony

affected his substantial rights. Finally, the proceedings against Gonzalez-

Rodriguez did not violate the Speedy Trial Act.

The district court’s judgment is AFFIRMED.

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