United States v. Richard Kevin Post

Richard Kevin Post appeals his conviction on two counts arising out of his possession of cocaine. He sought to exclude evidence discovered when an agent of the Drug Enforcement Agency “patted him down” in an interrogation room at the Port of Seattle Police Department. Post contends that the district court erroneously denied his motion to suppress. We affirm the conviction.

The search in the interrogation room was the culmination of eighteen hours of surveillance of Post and Richard Roberts by DEA agents in two cities. Roberts initially attracted the attention of Special Agents Snyder and Boggs as he paced the length of the airport, tightly holding a brief case. The agents watched him meet Post, the appellant. They saw Post buy two one-way tickets to Los Angeles. The agents ascertained that the tickets, purchased with cash, were issued to R. Roberts and R. Post. The DEA computer indicated that in 1972 R. Post, a male of Seattle, was a known narcotics trafficker. The agents’ interest in the two heightened. Post and Roberts did not board their scheduled flight, nor a second flight on which they had reserved seats. Agent Snyder saw them board a third flight to Los Angeles. He told…