United States v. Carla Strifler and Ronald Wayne Strifler, Also Known as Ronald Wayne Norris

Ronald Strifler and Carla Strifler, husband and wife, appeal their convictions of attempting to manufacture methamphetamine in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841 (a)(1) and (b)(1), and § 846 and conspiracy to manufacture and/or distribute methamphetamine in violation of the same statutes.

Their appeals raise two issues: the denial of their request for a Franks hearing regarding the affidavit on which the search warrant was based that led to their arrest and conviction; and the amount of Brady material given them by the district court from the probation file of a government witness.

FACTS

On June 16, 1986, Harold W. Davidson II filed a handwritten affidavit with a magistrate seeking a search warrant for the premises known as 22700 West Deal Road, Tucson, Arizona, occupied by a double wide mobile home, two sheds and a travel trailer, with a sign proclaiming, “All trespassers will be eaten.”

In his affidavit, Davidson identified himself as a special agent for the Drug Enforcement Agency, who had been so employed for over 15 years, had been the case agent on over 100 investigations and had obtained over 100 search warrants. He stated that he had been conducting an investigation of…