In re Marcos B. CA4/3

FACTS

Dominic Padilla has been a police officer for over 13 years, with extensive training and experience in drug surveillance. For four of those years, he worked undercover as part of a strike force team. He parked in areas known for the sale of drugs and reported his observations to assisting officers. In the constantly evolving practice of drug transactions, drug dealers now commonly have a “negotiator” or “facilitator” posted in a parking lot who, upon being contacted, will direct a purchaser to the location of the person who has the drugs for sale. As an undercover officer, Padilla has personally observed this type of transaction over 20 times. Such drug deals are not limited to the evening hours but occur throughout the day, including in broad daylight. One evening around 7:00 p.m., Padilla was working undercover for the strike force team at a grocery parking lot “well-known for drug sales.” He noticed a man sitting on a block wall. When a vehicle pulled up, the man walked over to the driver’s side, leaned in, and spoke to the vehicle’s occupants. The man then grabbed his cellular phone and appeared to be texting or making a phone call. Minor got out of the passenger side…