George Jerome Pfeifer v. United States Bureau of Prisons

George Jerome Pfeifer appeals the denial of his petition for a writ of habeas corpus. He contends that his imprisonment in the United States, pursuant to the Treaty on the Execution of Penal Sentences between the United States and Mexico, violates his right to due process. We affirm.

Pfeifer was arrested in the Mexico City airport on September 19, 1977. Mexican officials found what appeared to be cocaine in his suitcase and three apparently counterfeit $100 bills on his person. On March 31, 1978 he was found guilty in a Mexican court of importing cocaine and of possessing counterfeit money. He was sentenced to twelve years in prison. Pfeifer alleges that he was made to sign a confession by torture, that he was denied effective assistance of counsel, and that he was denied the right to appeal.

At a hearing in Tijuana, Mexico on May 12, 1978 before a United States magistrate, Pfeifer consented to be transferred to the custody of the United States to serve his Mexican sentence in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty. He was transferred to the United States and on June 2, 1978 he filed this petition for habeas corpus.

Pfeifer contends that those portions of the Treaty and…