Lead Opinion
Following a search of his residence and seizure of certain evidence, Paul Garza was arrested and charged with possession of more than three ounces of marijuana, I.C. § 37-2732(e), and with possession with intent to deliver, I.C. § 37-2732(a)(l)(B). He appeals from the judgment entered on the jury’s findings of guilt, raising several evidentiary and jurisdictional arguments. He contends that (1) Idaho Criminal Rule 41(b) unconstitutionally expands statutory limits upon the scope of search warrants, resulting in an over-broad warrant in this case; (2) the affidavit for the search warrant lacked probable cause, mandating suppression of the evidence seized; (3) the testimony concerning crimes committed by third parties in Nevada was erroneously admitted; and (4) the state failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt either Paul’s possession of the marijuana or his intent to deliver it to third parties. We affirm the final judgment below.
Acting pursuant to a search warrant, several police officers conducted a search of the home of Paul and Brenda Garza in the couple’s absence. The search revealed the following evidence: (1) a brown suitcase containing seven plastic bags and one cellophane bag of marijuana ranging in weight from 392 to 471 grams located under the bed of an upstairs room; (2) a blue suitcase containing a “Seal-a-Meal” (a device for heat-sealing plastic bags) located under the bed next to the brown suitcase; (3) a set of scales in plain view on a sewing machine cabinet in the room with the suitcases; (4) a brown paper sack of marijuana stems wrapped in newspaper located on the floor between a chest of drawers and a baby crib in the master bedroom; (5) a large plastic bag of marijuana seeds on an upper shelf in the closet of the master bedroom; (6) a brown paper sack containing three individual zip-lock freezer bags of marijuana located in a closet on the first floor; and (7) two notebooks and numerous Western Union Money-Gram receipts and house payment receipts in a bank bag in the room with the suitcases. Paul and his wife, Brenda, were later arrested and each was charged with possession of more than three ounces of marijuana and with possession with intent to deliver. The two were given separate jury trials.
Several of the Money-Gram receipts were introduced at Paul’s trial, many made out to Paulo Ramirez for large sums. Testimony of a Las Vegas police officer outlined the arrest of Ramirez in Nevada for the sale of thirty-seven pounds of marijuana to an undercover police officer. Additional evidence indicated extensive telephone contact between the Garzas’ telephone number and that of Gilbert Andrini in Las Vegas. Further testimony established Andrini’s connection with cocaine trafficking, and indicated drug dealings between Andrini and Ramirez. Following a two-day trial, the jury found Paul guilty on both counts charged. The judge dismissed the conviction for possession of more than three ounces of marijuana and sentenced Paul to five years probation plus a term of community service and a $7,000 fine for the conviction of possession with intent to deliver.
I
First, Paul contends that the magistrate was without jurisdiction to issue a search warrant for seizure of “mere evidence” of
may be issued upon either of the following grounds:
1. When the property was stolen or embezzled____
2. When it was used as the means of committing a felony____
3. When it is in the possession of any person with the intent to use it as the means of committing a public offense____
In January, 1984, when the search warrant was issued, I.C.R. 41, as it was then promulgated by our Supreme Court, stated in part
(b) Property which may be seized with a warrant. A warrant may be issued under this rule to search for and seize (1) evidence of the commission of a criminal offense; or (2) contraband, the fruits of crime, or things otherwise criminally possessed; or (3) weapons or other things by means of which a crime has been committed or reasonably appears about to be committed.
Paul argues that § 19-4402, by setting narrower guidelines, is intended to afford more protection against searches than the constitution. He contends this greater protection is a substantive right. Accordingly, he argues that the Idaho Supreme Court cannot, by rule, amend the statute so as to broaden the scope of a search warrant. To do so is an unconstitutional invasion of legislative domain. Therefore, so far as I.C.R. 41(b) allows for search and seizure of “mere evidence,” it is unconstitutional. We disagree.
The statute is an anachronism carved from the common law of England. At one time the statute did truly reflect the constitutional scope of a search warrant. See, e.g., Gouled v. United States,
The requirements of the Fourth Amendment can secure the same protection of privacy whether the search is for “mere evidence” or for fruits, instrumentalities or contraband [of a crime]____ Thus in the case of “mere evidence,” probable cause must be examined in terms of cause to believe that the evidence sought will aid in a particular apprehension or conviction.
Id. at 306-07,
Shortly after the Hayden decision, our own Supreme Court voiced its support for the admission of mere evidence at trial. In State v. Gonzales,
The federal rules prior to Hayden contained language paralleling I.C. § 19-4402. Subsequent to Hayden, Federal Rule 41(b) was amended to reflect the Supreme Court’s change of position. Idaho’s Rule 41(b) mirrors the current federal rule, underscoring the shifting attitude away from the mere evidence rule and dictating the treatment afforded the question of mere evidence in the majority of jurisdictions.
Three Idaho cases have dwelt on conflicts between Rule 41 and older, more restrictive statutory provisions. State v. Yoder,
II
Second, Paul argues that the affidavit for the search warrant failed to disclose probable cause for issuance of the warrant. To the contrary, we find that the affidavit sets forth several events amounting to probable cause. Officer Dennis Dexter, the affiant, instigated an investigation of a number of individuals in response to information he received from Officer Traverse of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department concerning the possible delivery of a controlled substance to the Garza residence in Idaho. The Las Vegas police, using a pen register, verified that frequent long distance telephone calls occurred between the Garza residence and an individual in Las Vegas known to be involved in the sale and distribution of controlled substances. This information was further verified by a confidential informant to the Las Vegas police who claimed to have overheard various conversations between the Las Vegas individual and a person at the Garza residence.
A short time later, Officer Traverse relayed additional information to Officer Dexter from the informant concerning the delivery of ten to fifteen pounds of marijuana to the Garza home from Las Vegas. This information was also derived from an overheard conversation. The same day, an officer of the Rupert Police Department observed numerous vehicles arrive at the Garza home, noting the short duration of each stop. Officer Dexter attested to the consistency of this activity with the distribution of controlled substances. Two days later, Officer Dexter was notified that the Garzas were having difficulty distributing the shipment, indicating that marijuana would possibly be found on the premises.
The determination of the existence of probable cause must represent the exercise of a magistrate’s sound discretion. Our function, on appeal, is limited to ensuring that the magistrate had a substantial basis for concluding that probable cause existed. State v. Lang,
ill
Next, Paul contends that the trial court erred in admitting testimony concerning the illegal activities of third parties not charged in this case. Idaho law has long barred the admission of evidence concerning the unrelated criminal activities of the accused when offered to show that he is a bad person and that he therefore committed the crime for which he is on trial. See State v. Wrenn,
However, evidence of uncharged criminal activity — either of the accused, or, as in this case, of a nondefendant — may be admissible for other purposes. See Commonwealth v. Szemetum,
In this case, intent was a material and disputed issue. As stated above, a search of the Garza residence revealed significant quantities of marijuana. Paul’s defense at trial was that he had no knowledge of the marijuana. As indicated in our discussion below, regarding the sufficiency of the evidence, proximity alone will not suffice as proof of possession. Here, evidence that Paul personally had sent substantial sums of money to an individual shown to be engaged in the large-scale trafficking of marijuana was plainly relevant to show his knowledge of and intent to possess the marijuana found in the residence which he cohabited with his wife.
Because the evidence was relevant to a material and disputed issue, it was admissible unless excluded under the probative value/unfair prejudice balancing test. The judge did not explicitly perform such a test on the record. Under these circumstances, we must examine the record independently, without the benefit of the trial judge’s reasoning. State v. Carlson,
IV
Finally, Paul challenges both convictions based on the sufficiency of the state’s evidence. He argues that the state failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Paul had either possession of the marijuana or intent to distribute it. A conviction based upon a jury verdict will be set aside only absent substantial competent evidence upon which a rational trier of fact could find beyond a reasonable doubt the necessary elements of the crime charged. State v. Vinton,
An essential element of both crimes was possession of the marijuana. Possession may be either actual or constructive, State v. Warden,
Furthermore, there was substantial evidence that Paul intended to distribute the marijuana. Nine pounds of marijuana, packaged largely in one-pound baggies, were seized from the Garza home. The record supports the inference of a street price of between $5,000 and $8,000 and reflects sufficient testimony from which the jury could infer that the amount was greater than is normally possessed for personal use. Paraphernalia and packaging materials were also seized along with notebooks identified as transactional records indicating the sale of a controlled substance. On the basis of this evidence and the trial testimony, a rational jury could find beyond a reasonable doubt that Paul Garza intended to distribute some or all of the marijuana. State v. O’Campo,
The judgment below is affirmed.
Notes
. Brenda’s trial was conducted first. She was found guilty of the same crimes for which Paul was convicted. See State v. Garza,
. The district court held that the same acts on the part of the defendant were the basis for the conviction of each crime. The court concluded that Idaho’s "double jeopardy’ statute, I.C. § 18-301, prohibited conviction and punishment for both counts. The court therefore agreed to vacate the conviction on the first count if no timely appeal was taken from the conviction for possession with intent to deliver. If an appeal was taken, the conviction on the first count would be vacated only if the conviction on the second count were affirmed on appeal.
. Of course, third party criminal activity cannot he proved by hearsay testimony. See Kirby v. United States,
. The evidence that Brenda had sent some of the Money-Grams to Las Vegas was excluded in her trial because of a lack of proper foundation. In Paul’s case a witness from Las Vegas supplied the necessary foundation.
Concurrence Opinion
In Part I of today’s opinion, the Court discusses a perceived conflict between legislative and judicial definitions of the types of property that may be seized under search warrants. The Court nullifies the legislative standard by a three-step reasoning process: (1) I.C. § 19-4402 prohibits the seizure of “mere evidence;” (2) Rule 41(b), I.C.R., authorizes the seizure of such evidence; and (3) Rule 41(b) will be given dominant effect because it expresses modem judicial thought and our Supreme Court has held in several cases that rules prevail over statutes. I think the analysis can be stated in an alternative way that accords greater recognition to the proper role of the legislature.
Our system of government is said to embody a separation of powers. Actually, it is more accurate to say that the three branches of government — legislative, executive and judicial — have areas of exclusive and shared authority. Thus, the legislature has exclusive authority, subject to constitutional restrictions, to determine the internal processes by which it will formulate and consider proposed statutes or resolutions. Similarly, the judiciary has exclusive authority, within constitutional constraints, to determine the internal processes by which it will perform fact-finding and law-stating functions of adjudication. These areas of exclusive responsibility often are characterized as “procedure.” On the other hand, the legislature and judiciary share authority to define the rights and duties of private persons vis-a-vis each other or of government vis-a-vis individuals. On such issues, court rules or decisions may coexist with statutes so long as they do not conflict. When there is a conflict, the judiciary defers to the legislature
Within this framework, the Idaho Supreme Court decisions cited in today’s decision can be analyzed. In State v. Yoder,
However, the other cases cited — State v. Lewis,
That is precisely what the legislature and the judiciary have done. Nighttime searches are not differentiated from daytime searches in constitutional law. However, there is no constitutional impediment to providing greater protection of privacy and tranquility against nighttime intrusions. The legislature has provided, in I.C. § 19-4411, that search warrants may not be executed at night unless affidavits in the warrant applications “are positive that the property is on the person or in the place to be searched____” In contrast, I.C.R. 41(c) is less protective, allowing search warrants to be executed at night “for reasonable cause shown____” Notwithstanding the greater protection afforded by the statute, and the greater particularity of the statutory language, our Supreme Court held in Lindner and in Lewis that the rule would prevail over the statute. In so holding, the Supreme Court rejected a suggestion by the Court of Appeals that the apparent conflict between the statute and the rule could be reconciled by construing them as complementary to each other. See State v. Lewis,
The message of Lewis and Lindner, as applied to the instant case, is that when a statute and rule conflict, dominant effect will be accorded to the rule even though the issue falls within an area of responsibility shared by the legislature and judiciary. Lewis and Lindner represent a departure from the principle of judicial deference to the legislature on nonconstitutional issues within the sphere of shared authority.
The issue here, as in Lewis and Lindner, involves shared authority. The issue is what kind of property law enforcement officers may take under warrant from private citizens. The statute, I.C. § 19-4402, empowers officers to take property “stolen or embezzled,” property “used as the means of committing a felony,” and property “in the possession of any person with the intent to use it as the means of committing a public offense____” The rule, I.C.R. 41(b), also lists “evidence of the commission of a criminal offense____” Neither the statute nor the rule contravenes the state and federal constitutions. The rule coincides with modem constitutional law; the statute seemingly provides greater protection against takings of tangible property-
Where an issue involves shared authority, every reasonable effort should be made to reconcile apparently conflicting pronouncements of two branches of govern
This reconciliation approach yields the same result in the present case as does the judicial preemption approach derived from Lewis and Lindner. But the analytical method is more sensitive to the institutional concerns of the legislature on issues of shared responsibility. Accordingly, I concur in the result reached by Part I of today’s opinion. I concur fully in the remainder of the opinion.
