Rodolfo Cabrera appeals from his conviction for trafficking in methamphetamine. He asserts that insufficient evidence supports his conviction and that he received ineffective assistance of counsel. Although sufficient evidence supports Cabrera’s conviction, we must reverse and grant him a new trial because he received ineffective assistance of counsel. Viewed in the light most favorable to the verdict, the record shows that a confidential informant arranged for a person named Arroyo to deliver two pounds of methamphetamine at a location in Hall County. Police officers set up surveillance at the delivery location and observed a sport utility vehicle park next to the confidential informant’s vehicle. Cabrera was the driver, and Arroyo was seated in the front passenger seat. After the confidential informant identified Arroyo, the police detained both Arroyo and Cabrera. Two dogs trained to detect the odor of drugs separately showed “a strong odor response” to the center console between where Arroyo and Cabrera had been sitting, but the officers did not find any drugs in it. An officer “standing at the back area of the vehicle” saw “a crack on the left-hand side of the vehicle on the interior in the storage area on the plastic on the side of the vehicle.” Another officer went “to the back area,” and after the plastic in the cargo area was pulled out, “reached in and recovered a bag which contained two Tupperware containers which contained . . . approximately two pounds of methamphetamine” worth $89,600. The registered owner of the sport utility vehicle lived at the same address as Cabrera. The police did not find any contraband on Cabrera’s person.
After entering into a guilty plea agreement with Arroyo shortly before Cabrera’s trial, the State called Arroyo as a witness. After Arroyo acknowledged that he had been charged with trafficking in methamphetamine, Arroyo answered the State’s follow-up questions as follows: Q. Mr. Arroyo, did you plead guilty to trafficking in methamphetamine on Friday here in this court A. Yes, sir.
