United States v. Lorena Christine Purvis

Appellant, Lorena Purvis, was convicted of importing and of possession with intent to distribute heroin in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 952 and 841(a)(1). She contends that the evidence used at her trial was illegally obtained and should have been suppressed. She also argues that the conduct of both the government and the trial judge violated her right to a fair trial. We affirm.

I.

Purvis arrived at San Francisco International Airport on June 20, 1979, from Bangkok, Thailand. Questioning by Customs revealed that Purvis was a cocktail waitress from Birmingham, Alabama, who had been vacationing in Bangkok, had paid cash for her airfare and had nothing to declare on the Customs Declaration form. The Customs examiner concluded that a more detailed examination was indicated and escorted her to the secondary search area. A second inspection officer noticed that Purvis walked in a slow and careful manner. A third examiner in the search room observed that when she seated herself in a chair she crossed her legs and appeared to put her weight only on one side of her buttocks. Two female inspectors conducted a strip search which disclosed that Purvis was wearing tampons different from those…