United States v. Mejia, Rafael

Opinion for the Court filed by Circuit Judge GARLAND.

GARLAND, Circuit Judge.

Following a jury trial, defendants Rafael Mejia and Homes Valencia Rios were convicted of conspiring to distribute cocaine with the knowledge and intent that it would be unlawfully imported into the United States. Mejia was sentenced to 400 months in prison and Rios to 324 months. The defendants raise a number of jurisdictional, procedural, evidentiary, and constitutional challenges to their convictions and sentences. We consider those challenges below.

I

From June through November 1998, Costa Rican law enforcement…