Source: cases/21usc841/f3d-150-902-us-v-quintanar.case
Case source: https://www.neochart.com/catalog/cases/f3d/volume_150/0902_01/index.html
The government’s case straightforwardly rests upon constructive possession. Therefore, for the jury to find Quintanar guilty, the government was required to prove that Quintanar intended to exercise dominion over the methamphetamine, that he had the power to exercise dominion, and that he.knew he had the power to exercise dominion.
The government’s evidence fell short of proving beyond reasonable doubt that Quintanar had the power to exercise control or dominion over the drugs at any given time.
casedsl 1.2 # author: Flash2 (gemini-3.8-flash-high) # triaged-by: Fable (2026-11-10) case /f3d/150/0902-01 name United States v. Quintanar cite 150 F.3d 902 (1998) court United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit date 1998-07-28 url catalog/cases/f3d/volume_150/0902_01/index.html source ir/caselaw/f3d_150.jsonl sha1=17061d2fb5a2731c5b09cfc0ca4551e9b4695f4a chars=12362 opinion maj : majority by Godbold @0..12362 controlling law 21usc841 (a)(1) role applied posture criminal; jury conviction for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute; defendant challenges sufficiency of evidence on constructive possession; conviction reversed result claimant-lost element possession : not-satisfied [no-evidence] route constructive pattern intercepted-delivery-before-defendant-exerted-control fact @6112..6203 [cuts-against absent] | Neither Quintanar’s name nor his address was on the box. He never touched it or handled it. fact @8746..8903 [cuts-against] | But before Quintanar could assert dominion or control of the package it was physically removed from the possession of Macias and taken to the police station. fact @5011..5153 [supports] | Quintanar then told her that there were drugs in the box, “[he] asked me just to give — just to turn the box over to him, not to destroy him.” fact @8613..8682 [cuts-against] | Connett was not acting on his behalf but at the direction of Hoffman. rule @7649..7982 | The government’s case straightforwardly rests upon constructive possession. Therefore, for the jury to find Quintanar guilty, the government was required to prove that Quintanar intended to exercise dominion over the methamphetamine, that he had the power to exercise dominion, and that he.knew he had the power to exercise dominion. rule @10565..10923 [quoted] | “[T]he essence of constructive possession is not direct, physical control, but the ability to reduce an object to actual possession; otherwise, constructive possession would have no meaning at all- It is enough if one person is sufficiently associated with another having physical possession that he is able to produce a controlled substance for a customer.” held @8141..8307 | The government’s evidence fell short of proving beyond reasonable doubt that Quintanar had the power to exercise control or dominion over the drugs at any given time. gloss Conviction reversed for insufficiency of evidence: where a mailed package was addressed to a third party and turned over to police before defendant could assert control or reduce it to actual possession, defendant had at most intent or hope to gain possession, which does not constitute constructive possession. element intent-to-distribute : not-reached gloss Vacated with the failure of proof on possession. element knowledge : not-reached gloss Addressed only as intent to gain future possession; not separately reached. element substance : not-reached gloss Methamphetamine in package not contested.