United States v. Jose Guadalupe Valenzuela

Jose Guadalupe Valenzuela (Jose) appeals his judgment of conviction and sentence to custody entered by the District Court on December 19,1977 for violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846 (conspiracy), seven counts of violations under 21 U.S.C. § 841 (a)(1) (trafficking in heroin), and for violation of 21 U.S.C. § 848 (continuing criminal enterprise). We affirm.

BACKGROUND FACTS:

The factual record reveals that the United States Drug Enforcement Administration conducted a long term national and international investigation to neutralize the so-called Valenzuela family organization, one of the major sources of Mexican heroin in the United States. The Valenzuela organization was responsible for the importation of vast quantities of heroin which were distributed to customers from Los Angeles, New York, and other cities. The organization was controlled and directed by Jose and his fugitive brother Fernando Valenzuela (Fernando).

A characteristic of the Valenzuela organization was the use of family members, related by blood or marriage, in the heroin distribution enterprise. A second characteristic of the organization was that it would provide bail to permit members who had been apprehended on…