United States v. Victor Rodriguez

BACKGROUND

In 1982, Officer MacNeil of the Glendale, California Police Department began receiving information — reports from other narcotics officers and a corroborated tip from a citizen informant — which led him to suspect that Jaime Giraldo was distributing cocaine in the area. This suspicion was reinforced when MacNeil discovered a connection between Giraldo and the victim of a 1985 cocaine-related murder. Subsequent information, obtained from informants, anonymous tips, and warranted searches of various residences, prompted MacNeil to commence surveillance of Giraldo and those suspected of participation in Giraldo’s narcotics organization.

During the period between May 27, 1986 and June 2, 1986, MacNeil and other officers observed a continuous pattern of activity. This activity, centering around four residences in the Los Angeles area, was consistent with MacNeil’s suspicions of narcotics distribution.

On June 2, surveillance observed two vehicles, a pickup truck and a van, enter the garage of a suspect residence in Southgate, California. As both vehicles departed, the van was seen to contain two large cardboard boxes that it did not contain earlier. The two vehicles…