Garcia v. Holder, ___ F.3d ___, 2011 WL 1105591 (6th Cir. Mar. 28, 2011) (Michigan conviction attempted possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver [actual, constructive, or attempted transfer from 1 person to another] less than five kilograms, in violation of Mich. Comp. Laws 333.7401(2)(d)(iii), constituted a drug trafficking aggravated felony, under INA 101(a)(43)(B), 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(43)(B), even though no commercial element was required to constitute the offense, because the federal Controlled Substances Act similarly prohibits a person from possess[ing] with intent to ... distribute ... a controlled substance, 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1), as a felony, rejecting the argument that government must negate the misdemeanor exception under which gratuitous distribution of a small amount of marijuana constitutes only a misdemeanor under 21 U.S.C. 841(b)(4) since the small amount exception is not an element of the offense); see United States v. Bartholomew, 310 F.3d 912, 925 (6th Cir. 2002) (the amount of marijuana involved need not be proven to the jury in order to convict under 841(a) or punish under 841(b)(1)(D)); United States v. Hamlin, 319 F.3d 666, 670-71 (4th Cir. 2003) (holding that 841(b)(1)(D) is the default provision for possessing an undetermined amount of marijuana with the intent to distribute the drug); following Julce v. Mukasey, 530 F.3d 30, 34-36 (1st Cir. 2008); contra, Martinez v. Mukasey, 551 F.3d 113, 120 (2d Cir. 2008) ([W]e look no further than to the fact that Martinez's conviction could have been for precisely the sort of nonremunerative transfer of small quantities of marihuana that is only a federal misdemeanor under 21 U.S.C. 841(b)(4).); Jeune v. Attorney Gen., 476 F.3d 199, 205 (3d Cir. 2007) (the least culpable conduct involved a small amount of marijuana and no remunerative exchange, Jeune's state offense was deemed punishable under the misdemeanor provision of 21 U.S.C. 841(b)(4) and
therefore not an aggravated felony).

jurisdiction: 
Sixth Circuit

 

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