United States v. Ronald Lee Bramble

Bramble appeals from his conviction on three counts under 21 U.S.C. § 841 (a)(1): two counts of distributing cocaine, and one count of possessing cocaine with intent to distribute it. An earlier conviction was reversed. United States v. Bramble, 9 Cir., 1981, 641 F.2d 681 . We now affirm.

I. Facts.

Bramble arranged, by telephone, to sell two pounds of cocaine to an undercover agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration for $64,000. His contact with the agent was arranged by one Spalding, with whom he had been fishing in Alaska. The agent and Spalding were in Seattle. Bramble lived in Woodside, California. He offered to charge $2,000 less if the agent would take delivery in California. The telephone calls in which the transaction was arranged were monitored and recorded, and were played to the jury. The agent, accompanied by Spalding, flew to San Francisco. After some telephone calls, Bramble met them at a Redwood City motel, and a pound of cocaine was sold by Bramble to the agent for $32,000. He was then arrested, and a second pound of cocaine was found in his vehicle, along with a loaded pistol. Bramble also had with him a balance scale, a bank money bag, and a notebook that…