8TH CIRCUIT SUPPORTS LOWER COURT RULING IN DRUG CASE

LITTLE ROCK -- A man who pleaded guilty to manufacturing marijuana and to
possession with intent to distribute marijuana was properly informed that
he was eligible for an enhanced sentence, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals said Tuesday.

James L. Mooring was charged with drug and gun offenses after police found
257 marijuana plants in a search of Mooring's barn.

At a hearing on Mooring's motion to suppress evidence seized in the search,
Mooring admitted he had been convicted of a felony in 1990 for growing
marijuana plants on his property. After the U.S. District Court for the
Eastern District of Arkansas denied Mooring's motion to suppress the
evidence, Mooring decided to plead guilty to two marijuana-related charges.

Because Mooring had an earlier felony drug conviction, he was eligible for
an enhanced minimum sentence.