United States v. Zandi

Hadi and Mehdi Zandi (defendants), brothers in the United States, arranged by phone with their brother Morteza in Pakistan to pay him $3,000 to mail them a box of 'presents' they could sell; Morteza shipped a package under a false address to a P.O. box Mehdi provided, and after learning it had arrived, the brothers obtained the airway bill and carrier's certificate, paid the storage fee, and went to collect it, with Mehdi abruptly leaving upon spotting a customs inspector, prompting suspicious warehouse staff to alert customs, who found the package contained opium. The brothers returned the next day with the required documentation, and when Hadi was handed the package and asked to open it for inspection, the opium was revealed; both were convicted of possession of opium with intent to distribute and appealed, arguing the government failed to prove actual possession or knowledge of the opium.