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United States v. Torres-Salas

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT
Jun 16, 2015
No. 14-41383 (5th Cir. Jun. 16, 2015)

Opinion

No. 14-41383

06-16-2015

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee v. JOEL TORRES-SALAS, Defendant-Appellant


Conference Calendar Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
USDC No. 1:14-CR-379-1
Before DAVIS, JONES, and HIGGINSON, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM:

Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR. R. 47.5.4.

Appealing the judgment in a criminal case, Joel Torres-Salas raises an argument that is foreclosed by United States v. Teran-Salas, 767 F.3d 453, 458-62 (5th Cir. 2014), cert. denied, 135 S. Ct. 1892 (2015). In Teran-Salas, we determined that the appellant was not entitled to relief based merely on the existence of a theoretical possibility that the defendant could be convicted under Texas Health & Safety Code § 481.112(a) for conduct that would not qualify as a federal drug trafficking offense. See Teran-Salas, 767 F.3d at 458. Torres-Salas has not demonstrated "a realistic probability that Texas would prosecute under an 'administering' theory in a way that does not also constitute either 'dispensing' or 'distributing' under the federal sentencing guidelines." Id. at 461-62.

Torres-Salas also raises an argument that is foreclosed by our holding in United States v. Martinez-Lugo, 782 F.3d 198, 204-05 (5th Cir. 2015), that an enhancement under § 2L1.2(b)(1)(A)(i) for a prior conviction of a drug trafficking offense is warranted regardless whether a conviction for the prior offense required proof of remuneration or commercial activity.

Accordingly, the Government's unopposed motion for summary affirmance is GRANTED, the alternative motion for an extension of time to file a brief is DENIED, and the judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED.


Summaries of

United States v. Torres-Salas

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT
Jun 16, 2015
No. 14-41383 (5th Cir. Jun. 16, 2015)
Case details for

United States v. Torres-Salas

Case Details

Full title:UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee v. JOEL TORRES-SALAS…

Court:UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

Date published: Jun 16, 2015

Citations

No. 14-41383 (5th Cir. Jun. 16, 2015)