United States v. Wayne Franklin Traylor, Ardis May Traylor, and John Horace Andrews

I. OVERVIEW

On March 8,1980, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents found approximately 9 pounds of cocaine in handbags carried by Wayne and Ardis Traylor. The cocaine was found during a search of the Traylors’ luggage upon their arrival at the Seattle-Tacoma Airport from Los Angeles.

As a result of the arrest of the Traylors, the government apparently became aware of a connection between the Traylors and John Andrews, the appellants, and others. The government’s subsequent investigation led to an indictment which charged that the appellants, along with others, had engaged in a conspiracy to import cocaine and a conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine. The conspiracies were alleged to have commenced from at least the early part of 1978 and continued through March 8, 1980.

In addition to the conspiracy charges, the appellants were indicted on two counts each of the substantive offenses of importing cocaine and possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute. These charges arose out of the March 8,1980 incident and a December 1978 incident.

The key government witnesses were Cathy McCausland, a friend of Wayne Traylor, and Steve Gable, a friend of Andrews who had been…