United States v. Rosa Elena Castaneda-Sandoval

21 F.3d 1116 NOTICE: Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3 provides that dispositions other than opinions or orders designated for publication are not precedential and should not be cited except when relevant under the doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, or collateral estoppel. UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Rosa Elena CASTANEDA-SANDOVAL, Defendant-Appellant. No. 93-10349. United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Argued and Submitted March 18, 1994. March 31, 1994. Before: D.W. NELSON, BOOCHEVER, and BEEZER, Circuit Judges. MEMORANDUM 1 OVERVIEW 1 Rosa Elena Castaneda-Sandoval was arrested at the Nogales Port of Entry when INS agents found 80 pounds of marijuana in a hidden compartment of her car. Castaneda consistently has maintained that she did not know she was carrying drugs or how they ended up in her car. The government's case largely consisted of impeaching Castaneda's testimony. In doing so, the government impermissibly used "drug courier profile" evidence to prove that Castaneda must have known about the drugs. Because the district court's erroneous admission of the evidence was highly prejudicial, we reverse Castaneda's conviction. 2 FACTUAL AND…