Edgar Mejia's troubles began when officers found heroin and methamphetamine in his car outside a casino, then discovered a hidden compartment in his trailer kitchen containing 541 grams of heroin and two firearms. In a series of jailhouse calls, Mejia tried to get alleged co-conspirator Gregory Johnson to retrieve the 'dog food' and 'toys' from the wall before 'the roaches' and 'rodents' arrived, emphasizing that 'there [wa]s a lot of money right there.'
Circuit Judge David Stras wrote that the conspiracy was established when 'Johnson promised to retrieve the 'dog food' from the hidden compartment in the trailer,' explaining that 'a foiled conspiracy is still a conspiracy.' The court found sufficient evidence even though Johnson never actually recovered the heroin, noting that Mejia's leadership role showed he 'knew about the conspiracy and intentionally joined it.'
Mejia pleaded guilty to heroin possession and illegal firearm possession charges, while a jury convicted him on conspiracy to distribute heroin and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. U.S. District Judge David Gregory Kays sentenced him to 322 months in prison plus 60 months of supervised release, including a requirement to work full-time or perform up to 20 hours of weekly community service.
The appeals court affirmed the conviction and rejected Mejia's challenge to his criminal history calculation, finding any error harmless because the district court made clear the sentence would be the same regardless. However, the court dismissed without prejudice his challenge to the community service requirement, ruling it unripe since he won't begin supervised release for over 25 years and 'may never arise.'