Commonwealth v. Mendes

In March, 2008, after a jury trial in the District Court, the defendants, brothers Ronald and Raymond B. Mendes,2 were convicted of several violations of the controlled substances laws, including the possession of class B and class D substances (cocaine and marijuana, respectively) with intent to distribute.3 On appeal, they primarily claim that the admission of certificates of drug analysis (drug certificates) to prove *355the chemical composition of the drugs seized in their shared apartment, a practice subsequently declared unconstitutional by Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts, 557 U.S. 305…