United States v. Steven Syms

BAUER, Circuit Judge.

This case involves a conspiracy to distribute cocaine in St. Louis, Missouri, and the surrounding area. One of the conspirators, Steven Syms, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(l)(A)(ii), and 846. The district court sentenced Syms to 151 months’ imprisonment. On appeal, Syms argues that the mandatory minimum sentence contained in 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(l)(A)(ii) violates the separation-of-powers doctrine. He also argues that the district court improperly based its drug-quantity…