People v. Palmer CA3

BACKGROUND

In December 2020, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Alberto Pena arranged a controlled buy of narcotics, targeting defendant. California Highway Patrol Officer Jeffrey Kuwahara played the role of buyer. Special Agent Pena instructed Officer

1 Kuwahara to buy one-half pound of methamphetamine. Special Agent Pena showed Officer Kuwahara defendant’s driver’s license photo with defendant’s distinctive neck tattoos. Officer Kuwahara arrived at the arranged location for the controlled buy. He drove a white truck and presented himself as a construction worker. When defendant arrived, Kuwahara recognized him from the driver’s license photo. Defendant got into the front passenger seat of the truck. The two of them stayed in the truck for 7 to 10 minutes. During that time, their conversation moved to discussing the drug deal. Defendant handed Kuwahara a package, which Kuwahara thought was too small to be one-half pound of methamphetamine. Kuwahara opened the package and confirmed it was approximately one-quarter pound of methamphetamine. He paid defendant $1,200 cash, and defendant left. The People charged defendant with the sale or transportation of a controlled…