United States v. Henry Chaplinski

Henry Chaplinski was convicted of importing cocaine in violation of 21 U.S.C. 952(a) and of possessing cocaine for distribution in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). On appeal, he first contends that the District Court should have excluded the cocaine from the trial on the grounds that it was seized after an illegal search and that the Government had failed to establish a sufficient chain of custody. Second, he argues that the Court should not have permitted one of the Government’s witnesses to testify. We find no merit to either of these contentions and affirm.

Appellant Chaplinski was…