United States v. Rudolfo Barron Salazar

Salazar, a Mexican citizen, received concurrent- seven year sentences after a jury verdict of guilty on both counts of a two-count indictment under 21 U.S.C. § 176a. Count one charged that he “knowingly smuggled and clandestinely introduced” 590 pounds of marihuana into the United States from Mexico; count two charged that he “knowingly concealed and facilitated the transportation and concealment of” the same 590 pounds of marihuana, knowing it to have been imported into the United States contrary to law. The testimony at trial may be summarized as follows: The marihuana was discovered in the course of a border search by United States customs agents. It had been concealed under the panels of the bed and in the sides of the bed of a 1959 Ford Ranchero that the appellant was driving when he crossed the border from Mexico. The agent who first questioned Salazar originally became concerned because he had no customs papers for two automobile transmissions he was carrying on the truck. He referred Salazar to the secondary inspection station for a more thorough search after noticing “some loose bolts and things” on the Ranchero. Salazar became nervous when he was told that he would be…