United States v. Mateo Estrada

Defendant-appellant Mateo Estrada appeals his conviction, after jury trial, of possessing pseudoephedrine knowing, or with reasonable cause to believe, that it would be used to manufacture methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841 (c)(2). We affirm.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Responding to a report of an accident, a California Highway Patrol (CHP) Officer found an overturned pickup truck with a camper shell on a remote, hilly road in Colusa County. The truck contained 178 pounds of pseudoephedrine pills, as well as 78 gallons of denatured alcohol, a can of acetone, and other paraphernalia suggesting to the officer that the contents were going to be used to make methamphet amine. The CHP officer found Estrada near the overturned truck, conscious but dazed and with a contusion on his forehead.

After sending Estrada to the hospital, the CHP towed the truck and performed an inventory search. Following the search, the truck was released back to the towing company. About two months after the crash, the towing company sold the truck at a lien sale.

During the inventory search, the CHP found a recent receipt from a Home Depot store for several cans of denatured alcohol. One…