United States v. Ym, Juvenile Female

MEMORANDUM

Y.M. appeals after being adjudicated a juvenile delinquent for knowingly possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute it. We conclude that the government has shown beyond a reasonable doubt that any violations of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, 18 U.S.C. §§ 5031-5042 , that may have occurred in this case did not prejudice Y.M. See United, States v. Juvenile Male, 595 F.3d 885, 902-04 (9th Cir.2010) (per curiam). We also hold that the district court did not abuse its discretion by permitting a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent to testify as an expert in identifying marijuana. The officer testified that he had been a CBP agent for approximately six years, had received specialized training in identifying narcotics, and had encountered marijuana more than one hundred times over the course of his career. The district court thus had an ample record from which to conclude that the CBP agent was “qualified as an expert” because of his “knowledge, skill, experience, training, [and] education.” Fed.R.Evid. 702. His testimony, moreover, was “the product of reliable principles and methods,” and he “reliably applied the principles and…