NCJ Number
185686
Journal
Crime to Court Dated: November-December 2000 Pages: 1-12
Date Published
October 2000
Length
12 pages
Annotation
The use of noncriminal factors to support reasonable suspicion of transportation of drugs was the focus of an appellate court decision in United States v. Brugal; this case concerned the discovery of cocaine and heroin in a vehicle stopped at an established license and registration checkpoint in South Carolina in 1997.
Abstract
The driver and his passengers claimed at the trial in United States District Court in Charleston, S.C., that the discovery of the drugs resulted from an unlawful extension of the initial seizure to check the driver’s license, registration, and proof of insurance. This action involved troopers of the South Carolina Highway patrol and an officer of the Ridgeland, S.C., city police department. The appellate court concluded that the facts known to the trooper supported reasonable suspicion of criminal activity and that Brugal’s consent to the search was valid. Therefore, the appellate vacated the district court’s order granting the defendant’s motions to suppress evidence and remanded the case for further proceedings. Photographs and discussion of United States Supreme Court decisions related to this issue