United States v. Juan Jose Quintanar-Munoz

Quintanar-Munoz has been convicted of smuggling hashish into the United States from Afghanistan. No presumption of its origin was needed.

On appeal, of the points asserted, only one is of significance: Was there an illegal search of defendant’s automobile shortly after his arrest? In the search, letters to the defendant were found. Later the letters were offered and received in evidence. These tightened the case on defendant. We hold they were properly obtained.

There had been events at the checking area which demonstrated that something was probably being smuggled, possibly hashish. The unarmed customs checkers at the processing area, knowing that they probably had a case against defendant because of a false bottom in the trunk and the discovery of foreign substances imbedded within slippers, let him carry the trunk to his station wagon. The officers had summoned an armed inspector, who regularly makes arrests. The officers (including the armed one who arrived at the counter area after the defendant had left with the trunk) caught up with the car and defendant in the parking lot. He let them complete the search. The arrest was made and the car impounded in probable…