United States v. Venetia Torres

Summary

The Eighth Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of Venetia Torres's motion to suppress evidence and her motion to dismiss the felon-in-possession count. It held that her facial and as-applied Second Amendment challenge to 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) is foreclosed by circuit precedent, which the Supreme Court's recent decision addressing a different subsection, § 922(g)(3), expressly left undisturbed. It further held that the postal inspector had reasonable suspicion to seize the suspect parcel based on its tracking connection to a fentanyl shipment, two earlier suspicious parcels sent to the same address, and multiple parcel characteristics that trained officers associate with drug trafficking.