United States v. Martinez Molina

TORRUELLA, Chief Judge.

Appellants and four codefendants were arrested at the Barbosa Park in Santurce, Puerto Rico, after a Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) agent observed them participating in what appeared to be a drug transaction. The defendants moved to suppress evidence obtained pursuant to the arrest on the grounds that the arrests and subsequent searches were made without probable cause. The district court denied their motions, and the appellants entered conditional guilty pleas. Several appellants subsequently claimed that their guilty pleas were coerced and moved to withdraw…