United States v. Frederick James Staves, United States of America v. Ernest Wayne
Opinion
Opinion
Fletcher, J.
Defendants-Appellants Frederick James Staves (“Staves”) and Ernest Wayne (“Wayne”), who conditionally pled guilty to federal drug trafficking offenses, appeal the denial of their motions to suppress evidence obtained through wiretapping. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291 , and we affirm.
I. BACKGROUND
These appeals arise out of a lengthy investigation by the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and other law enforcement agencies of a large-scale cocaine trafficking operation affiliated with the “Santana Block Crips” in Compton, California. Investigators believe that Staves was the leader of the gang and the drug trafficking operation.
Police arrested Wayne on February 1, 2001, after intercepted telephone conversations and investigators’ surveillance of a suspected drug “stash house” led police to believe that a drug transaction had occurred. A kilogram of cocaine was found in the trunk of the vehicle in which Wayne left the house. Staves was arrested on September 6, 2001, after a warrant was issued for his arrest. A grand jury returned a 34-count indictment against Staves, Wayne, and 24 other people for various drug-trafficking related offenses.