United States v. Yang, Teng ( 2002 )


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  • In the
    United States Court of Appeals
    For the Seventh Circuit
    No. 01-2422
    United States of America,
    Plaintiff-Appellee,
    v.
    Teng Yang,
    Defendant-Appellant.
    Appeal from the United States District Court
    for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.
    No. 99 CR 677--Harry D. Leinenweber, Judge.
    Argued January 7, 2002--Decided April 4, 2002
    Before Manion, Rovner, and Evans, Circuit
    Judges.
    Manion, Circuit Judge. Defendant Teng
    Yang appeals his conviction under 21
    U.S.C. sec. 952(a) for importation of
    opium into the United States. Mr. Yang
    pleaded guilty to the charge after the
    district court conducted an evidentiary
    hearing and denied his motion to suppress
    evidence of drugs seized at the airport
    after he had passed through customs. Mr.
    Yang expressly reserved the right to
    appeal the district court’s denial of his
    motion to suppress and now appeals that
    order. We affirm.
    I.   Background
    Teng Yang ("Teng") and his cousin Lee
    Pao Yang ("Lee Pao") flew into Chicago’s
    O’Hare International Airport on September
    7, 1999, from Laos connecting through
    Tokyo, Japan. Both men were booked on an
    American Airlines flight from O’Hare to
    St. Paul, Minnesota. Teng and Lee Pao are
    both American citizens who had traveled
    to Laos to attend Teng’s father’s
    funeral. But when they returned to the
    United States from Laos, their suitcases
    had been packed with clothes which had
    been soaked in an opium solution and then
    dried. Teng passed through customs at
    O’Hare without incident. His suitcase was
    x-rayed at the agricultural inspection
    area, but his luggage was not searched by
    hand. After leaving the customs area,
    Teng took his luggage and proceeded to
    the American Airlines terminal, less than
    a mile away, via the O’Hare airport tram.
    His cousin was less fortunate. Lee Pao
    was detained randomly for an enforcement
    exam and the inspectors discovered some
    unusually stiff clothing made of sweat-
    pant material in his suitcase. The
    clothing, which had a very strong odor,
    chemically tested positive for opiates.
    Lee Pao was arrested on the scene and,
    following questioning by the customs
    officials, he admitted that he was
    traveling with another person. American
    Airlines officials confirmed that Teng
    was booked on the same itinerary as his
    cousin. The customs agents then decided
    to intercept Teng based on Lee Pao’s
    admission that they were traveling
    together, the fact that drugs were found
    in Lee Pao’s bag, and the fact that both
    men were traveling on the same itinerary
    from Laos, a drug source country, to St.
    Paul, a drug destination city. They did
    not obtain a search or arrest warrant.
    The customs agents requested that the
    baggage crew separate Teng’s baggage from
    the other luggage on the flight to St.
    Paul. The agents then proceeded to the
    American Airlines terminal and announced
    Teng’s name over the loudspeaker. When no
    one responded, agents proceeded to search
    the terminal. One of the agents,
    Inspector Joseph Marcocig, recognized
    Teng, as he had seen him in line at
    customs with Lee Pao. Teng was taken down
    to the tarmac where he identified his
    luggage. He then agreed to return to the
    international terminal for questioning.
    The agents handcuffed him pursuant to
    customs policy for transportation of
    individuals in a vehicle ("for [their]
    protection and his") and returned to the
    international terminal. A search of his
    bags revealed more opium-soaked clothes.
    Teng and Lee Pao were charged in an
    indictment with conspiracy to import
    opium and importing large quantities of
    opium. Teng and Lee Pao filed a motion to
    suppress the evidence seized at the
    airport, which the court denied after an
    evidentiary hearing. In February 2001,
    Teng pleaded guilty to count three of the
    indictment which charged him with the
    importation of 2,737 grams of opium. In
    doing so, he reserved the right to appeal
    the trial court’s denial ruling on his
    motion to suppress. The district court
    then sentenced him to 24 months in prison
    followed by three years of supervised
    release. He now appeals the district
    court’s denial of his motion to suppress
    the evidence found in his suitcase.
    II.   Analysis
    In reviewing a district’s court’s ruling
    on a motion to suppress, this court
    reviews questions of law de novo
    andfindings of fact and reasonable
    inferences drawn from those findings for
    clear error. United States v. Peters, 
    153 F.3d 445
    , 451 (7th Cir. 1998). Teng
    argues that the district court erred in
    denying his motion to suppress, claiming
    that the customs agents searched his
    suitcase in violation of the Fourth
    Amendment. Alternatively, he argues that
    his detention at the American Airlines
    terminal constituted an illegal arrest,
    not supported by probable cause, and
    therefore the evidence must be excluded
    as it was a search incident to an
    unlawful arrest.
    A.Extended Border Search
    The Fourth Amendment protects
    individuals from unreasonable searches
    and seizures. U.S. Const., Amend IV.
    Generally a search is not reasonable
    unless the government has a warrant
    supported by probable cause or there must
    be an exception to the warrant
    requirement. An administrative border
    search has long been recognized as such
    an exception. United States v. Ramsey,
    
    431 U.S. 606
    , 619 (1977). Thus an
    administrative border search is
    constitutional so long as it is
    reasonable. See United States v. Chaidez,
    
    919 F.2d 1193
    , 1196 (7th Cir. 1991).
    Routine searches without a warrant at
    this country’s international borders are
    per se reasonable. 
    Ramsey, 431 U.S. at 616
    . Courts have predicated this broad
    power to conduct searches at
    international borders on the sovereign’s
    legitimate interest in protecting its
    borders. 
    Id. See also
    United States v.
    Brignoni-Ponce, 
    422 U.S. 873
    , 887 (1975)
    (Rehnquist concurring) (noting that a
    border search without probable cause is
    necessary for national protection)./1
    O’Hare Airport is an international
    gateway into the United States, and
    incoming passengers from international
    ports are subject to border searches
    because the airport is the functional
    equivalent of an international border.
    United States v. Johnson, 
    991 F.2d 1287
    ,
    1290 (7th Cir. 1993) (holding that
    weight, flex and scratch tests performed
    on luggage by a customs agent at O’Hare
    were routine). Under the "functional
    equivalent" doctrine, routine border
    searches are constitutionally permissible
    at places other than actual borders where
    travelers frequently enter or exit the
    country. See United States v. Almeida-
    Sanchez, 
    413 U.S. 266
    , 272-73 (1973).
    Thus even though Chicago is not an
    international border, searches at customs
    at O’Hare are permissible under the
    functional equivalent doctrine.
    In this case, Teng was routinely
    searched at customs and no contraband was
    discovered in his luggage. It was not
    until he traveled to a different terminal
    that other circumstances caused customs
    agents to develop suspicion that he might
    be smuggling drugs into the country. Teng
    argues that because the search that
    revealed the contraband did not occur at
    customs, it was not a constitutionally
    permissible border search. His argument
    is that once a traveler has passed
    through customs, left the international
    terminal, proceeded to a separate
    terminal in the airport and checked his
    bags onto another flight, the opportunity
    for a "routine" border search has passed.
    The government contends, on appeal, that
    even though Teng had passed through
    customs, the search should still be
    described as a routine border search,
    relying on United States v. Ramos, 
    645 F.2d 318
    , 319-21 (5th Cir. 1981). In
    Ramos, a search of an airline passenger
    who had traveled past customs but was
    still in the airport was deemed a routine
    search. In that case, once Ramos had
    passed through customs he proceeded to a
    hotel that was part of the same terminal.
    
    Id. Customs agents
    stopped Ramos in the
    hotel lobby, less than a half-hour after
    he had passed through customs and before
    he had an opportunity to go to his room.
    
    Id. The court
    reasoned that the search
    was routine because the passenger had not
    yet been assimilated into the "mainstream
    of domestic activities so as to shield
    him from appropriate border examinations
    and searches." 
    Id. See also
    United States
    v. Ogbuehi, 
    18 F.3d 807
    , 813 (9th Cir.
    1994) (holding that a search conducted
    minutes after a defendant had crossed the
    border and was less than sixty feet from
    the border was a routine border search);
    United States v. Wardlaw, 
    576 F.2d 932
    ,
    935 (1st Cir. 1978) (finding that when a
    suspect has merely passed through a
    luggage inspection but not yet left the
    site of the border a secondary inspection
    is still a routine border search).
    Whether, under the facts before us, this
    is a routine border search is a close
    question. But because the search may be
    justified as a nonroutine extended border
    search, we need not address whether,
    under these circumstances, it could still
    be described as a routine border search.
    The district court held that this search
    was not a routine border search, but was
    justified under the extended border
    doctrine, a doctrine our own circuit has
    not examined or applied. United States v.
    Odland, 
    502 F.2d 148
    , 151 (7th Cir. 1974)
    (recognizing the existence of, but
    expressing no view on the extended border
    doctrine). The extended border doctrine
    provides that non-routine border searches
    that occur near the border are deemed
    constitutionally permissible if
    reasonable under the Fourth Amendment. To
    determine whether an extended border
    search is reasonable courts consider
    whether: (1) there is a reasonable
    certainty that a border crossing has
    occurred; (2) there is a reasonable
    certainty that no change in condition of
    the luggage has occurred since the border
    crossing; and (3) there is a reasonable
    suspicion that criminal activity has
    occurred. See United States v. Espinoza-
    Seanez, 
    862 F.2d 526
    , 531 (5th Cir.
    1988). The "extended border search
    doctrine" has been adopted by several
    other circuits. See Espinoza-Seanez, 
    862 F.2d 526
    (5th Cir. 1989); United States
    v. Caicedo-Guarnizo, 
    723 F.2d 1420
    (9th
    Cir. 1984); United States v. Garcia, 
    672 F.2d 1349
    (11th Cir. 1982); United States
    v. Bilir, 
    592 F.2d 735
    (4th Cir. 1979).
    Two additional circuits have recognized
    it as a valid doctrine but have not yet
    applied it in justifying a border search.
    See United States v. Hyde, 
    37 F.3d 116
    ,
    120 n.2 (3d Cir. 1994); United States v.
    Glaziou, 
    402 F.2d 8
    , 13-14 n.3 (2d Cir.
    1968).
    The constitutional concern of extending
    the border in this manner is that it
    potentially permits searches with less
    than probable cause at significant
    distances from our national borders. For
    example in Caicedo-Guarnizo, a suspect
    was searched in Los Angeles after he had
    passed through customs in New Orleans and
    changed flights en route in Houston. The
    court allowed a search in that case under
    the extended border doctrine, even though
    several hours and over a thousand miles
    had passed since his border crossing.
    
    Caicedo-Guarnizo, 723 F.2d at 1423
    . The
    court allowed the search primarily
    because the suspect was under constant
    surveillance from the time he exited
    customs in New Orleans to the time he
    landed in Los Angeles. See 
    id. at 1422.
    See also, United States v. Fogelman, 
    586 F.2d 337
    (5th Cir. 1978) (extended border
    search allowed 254 miles and 20 hours
    from observed border crossing); United
    States v. Martinez, 
    481 F.2d 214
    (5th
    Cir. 1973) (extended border search 150
    miles and 142 hours from observed border
    crossing). Because an extended border
    search entails greater intrusion on an
    entrant’s legitimate expectations of
    privacy than does a search conducted at
    the border or its functional equivalent,
    courts have instituted the three-part
    test to ensure that the search is
    reasonable. United States v. Cardenas, 
    9 F.3d 1139
    , 1148 (5th Cir. 1994). The test
    ensures that a suspect still has a
    significant nexus with a border crossing
    so that agents can reasonably base their
    search on statutory and constitutional
    authority./2 Searches are reasonable
    under the extended border doctrine when
    officers have a reasonable certainty that
    any contraband found on a suspect was not
    obtained after the border crossing. See
    United States v. Corral-Villavicencio,
    
    753 F.2d 785
    , 788 (9th Cir. 1985).
    Because of the required relationship with
    a border crossing, the extended border
    doctrine respects "basic Fourth Amendment
    concepts by striking a sensible balance
    between the legitimate privacy interests
    of the individual and society’s vital
    interest in the enforcement of customs
    laws." See 
    Caicedo-Guarnizo, 723 F.2d at 1422
    . The use of the doctrine in this
    case where Teng attempted to smuggle
    opium is especially appropriate in light
    of the fact that "[t]he major impetus
    behind the extended border search
    doctrine is ’the government interest in
    stopping drug traffic.’" See 
    Cardenas, 9 F.3d at 1149
    (citing William E. Ringel,
    Searches and Seizures, Arrests and
    Confessions sec. 15.3, at 15-20 (Supp.
    1993)); see also Bilir , 
    592 F.2d 735
    ,
    740 (4th Cir. 1979) (stating "[t]he many
    difficulties that attend the attempt to
    intercept contraband and to apprehend
    increasingly mobile and sophisticated
    smugglers at the very borders of the
    country have of course given birth to the
    doctrine"). Teng’s plan to import opium
    was very sophisticated in this case,
    considering that even an x-ray of his
    luggage did not reveal the presence of
    contraband.
    Finally, the use of the extended border
    doctrine allows this circuit to more
    effectively analyze the reasonableness of
    non-routine border searches that occur
    near the border. Previously, in a case
    concluding that a border search was
    routine, this circuit observed that non-
    routine border searches need at least be
    supported by reasonable suspicion. See
    
    Johnson, 991 F.2d at 1291
    . In Johnson,
    the court examined the reasonableness of
    an in-depth search, including a luggage
    x-ray, of a passenger and her luggage
    while at customs at O’Hare Airport. 
    Id. at 1291-94.
    The court noted that whether
    or not a border inspection is routine
    depends on the "degree of intrusion into
    a border entrant’s legitimate
    expectations of privacy." 
    Id. at 1291
    (citing United States v. Braks, 
    842 F.2d 509
    , 511-12 (1st Cir. 1988)). However,
    this type of analysis does not lend
    itself easily to the situation at hand.
    As the district court noted "it is not
    disputed that the search of Teng was
    [n]onroutine." Here, customs inspectors
    detained Teng at a completely different
    airport terminal than the international
    terminal after Teng had already been
    subjected to a routine border search. Be
    cause the search of Teng did not occur at
    the border, but rather near the border,
    the reasonableness of the search is more
    aptly analyzed under the extended border
    search doctrine.
    It is the enforcement of the customs
    laws combined with the mandate of
    protecting the borders of the United
    States that permits the extension of the
    search rights of border authorities to
    allow non-routine searches in areas near
    our nation’s borders. Because the
    extended border doctrine strikes a
    sensible balance between these two
    interests we conclude that it is a valid
    legal standard applicable in this
    circuit. Thus, we now consider the
    relevant factors under this standard for
    determining the constitutionality of this
    search.
    1. Reasonable certainty of a border
    crossing.
    First, we ask whether there is a
    reasonable certainty that a border has
    been crossed. "Reasonable certainty is a
    standard which requires more than
    probable cause, but less than proof
    beyond a reasonable doubt." See 
    Cardenas, 9 F.3d at 1148
    (citing United States v.
    Delgado, 
    810 F.2d 480
    , 484 (5th Cir.
    1987)). Teng was seen passing through
    customs by customs officials and his bags
    were x-rayed as part of an agricultural
    check. The same customs officer who
    identified him in customs also spotted
    him in the American Airlines terminal
    less than an hour later. In this case
    neither party disputes this factor and
    there is not even a question that Teng
    crossed the border.
    2. Reasonable certainty of no change in
    condition of his luggage.
    Next, we must determine whether there
    was a reasonable certainty that no change
    in the condition of the luggage occurred
    since the border crossing. Again, neither
    party disputes this element. Teng claims
    he carried his own bags, via the O’Hare
    airport tram, to the American Airlines
    terminal. At the terminal, he waited in
    line at the gate and checked his own
    bags./3 Airport personnel then removed
    his bags from the plane, where they were
    identified by Teng. Teng does not contest
    this factor and does not allege any
    circumstances in his affidavit where his
    luggage would have changed condition.
    While neither party disputes this
    element, it is this factor that
    establishes the proper nexus with the
    border to allow a search and so we will
    examine it accordingly.
    Other circuits have considered the
    totality of the circumstances in
    determining whether officers had a
    reasonable certainty that any contraband
    discovered in a search was in the
    possession of the suspect at the time the
    suspect crossed the border. See United
    States v. Alfonso, 
    759 F.2d 728
    , 735 (9th
    Cir. 1985). Circumstances that courts
    consider include the time and distance
    from the original entry and the manner
    and extent of surveillance. 
    Id. In a
    case
    with facts similar to this one, the Ninth
    Circuit upheld the search of a suspect
    even though he had passed through airport
    customs 90 minutes prior to the search
    and was not under surveillance. See
    United States v. Mejias, 
    452 F.2d 1190
    ,
    1192-94 (9th Cir. 1971). The court
    reasoned that the subject’s luggage did
    not look like it had been tampered with
    and he was found near the customs
    terminal. 
    Id. Similar to
    the subject in
    Mejias, Teng was not under surveillance
    for the 30- to 45-minute period from the
    time when he crossed the border to the
    time when his luggage was searched.
    Unlike Mejias, Teng was found at a
    different terminal. However, because he
    had to check in his bags at the second
    terminal, his luggage was out of his
    control for a significant portion of the
    time that elapsed from when he crossed
    the border.
    At some point a subject’s relationship
    with the border becomes so attenuated
    that customs officials lose the right to
    detain him without a warrant. See
    
    Caicedo-Guarnizo, 723 F.2d at 1423
    . But
    in this case that limit was not reached.
    Admittedly, the fact that Teng was found
    at a different terminal does increase the
    possibility that the contents of his
    luggage had changed, but not
    substantially. Based on the relatively
    short period of time between Teng’s
    border crossing and his apprehension, the
    proximity to the border and the fact that
    Teng’s luggage was in control of the
    airport personnel for a significant
    period of this time indicates that
    customs agents had a reasonable certainty
    that the condition of Teng’s luggage did
    not change from the time of the border
    crossing.
    3. Reasonable suspicion of criminal
    activity.
    Last, we examine whether customs
    inspectors had reasonable suspicion that
    Teng was involved in criminal activity.
    Teng contends that the only reason that
    he was stopped and his luggage was
    searched was that his traveling companion
    was caught with drugs, and that this is
    not enough to create a reasonable
    suspicion that he was involved in
    criminal activity. The government
    responds that in addition to drugs being
    found in Lee Pao ’s bag, both were
    traveling on the exact same itinerary
    from Laos, a drug source nation, to St.
    Paul, Minnesota, a known opium
    destination, and that Teng failed to
    respond when his name was called on the
    speakers. After considering the evidence
    presented in the evidentiary hearing, the
    district court concluded that a
    reasonable suspicion existed to detain
    Teng and search his bags./4
    This final factor in the "extended
    border search" doctrine is analogous to a
    Terry stop. See United States v.
    Lopez-Gonzalez, 
    916 F.2d 1011
    , 1013 & n.
    3 (5th Cir. 1990) (explaining that
    factors relevant to the reasonable
    suspicion inquiry for a Terry stop might
    also be relevant to the reasonable
    suspicion inquiry in an extended border
    search, particularly for those stops in
    which the transportation of contraband is
    suspected). Under Terry, the detention of
    an individual or a luggage search without
    a warrant is permissible under the Fourth
    Amendment where there is reasonable
    suspicion that criminal activity is
    afoot. Terry v. Ohio, 
    392 U.S. 1
    , 20-23
    (1968); United States v. Place, 
    462 U.S. 696
    , 708 (1983). Reasonable suspicion "of
    criminal activity must be based on
    specific and articulable facts which,
    taken together with rational inferences
    therefrom, reasonably warrant [an]
    intrusion." United States v. Mancillas,
    
    183 F.3d 682
    , 695 (7th Cir. 1999)
    (citations omitted).
    The suspicion justifying a search of
    this type must be "based on objective
    factors and judged in light of the
    experience of the customs agents." United
    States v. Dorsey, 
    641 F.2d 1213
    , 1219
    (7th Cir. 1981). An illustrative, but not
    exhaustive, list of these factors appears
    in United States v. Asbury, 
    586 F.2d 973
    ,
    976-77 (2d Cir. 1978). That list includes
    "nervous or unusual conduct, tips from
    informants, loose clothing, travel
    itinerary, lack of employment, discovery
    of incriminating matter during routine
    searches, information from a search or
    interrogation of a traveling companion,
    inadequate luggage, and evasive or
    contradictory answers." 
    Dorsey, 641 F.2d at 1219
    , n.12 (citing 
    Asbury, 586 F.2d at 976-77
    ). Here, Teng evaded contact with
    the authorities at the terminal, they
    learned his itinerary from his traveling
    companion, and had discovered a
    significant amount of drugs on his
    companion. Additionally, the officers
    knew that Laos was a source country for
    opium and that St. Paul was a common
    destination for opium in the midwest. All
    of these factors, when considered in
    concert, demonstrate reasonable suspicion
    that criminal activity was occurring. See
    
    Cardenas, 9 F.3d at 1151
    (holding that
    finding drug paraphernalia on a traveling
    companion who had recently traveled from
    the Philippines, combined with suspicious
    behavior, constituted reasonable
    suspicion for the purposes of an extended
    border search).
    Therefore, under the extended border
    search doctrine, we conclude that the
    search of Teng was reasonable under the
    Fourth Amendment. Officers had a
    reasonable certainty that Teng had
    crossed the border and that his luggage
    had not changed in condition, and they
    had a reasonable suspicion that criminal
    activity was occurring.
    B. Search Incident To An Arrest
    We now turn to Teng’s alternative
    argument, that the evidence should be
    excluded because it was obtained in a
    search incident to an unlawful arrest.
    The district court concluded that Teng
    was not under arrest when he was
    handcuffed and returned to the
    international terminal. Teng argues that
    he was arrested without probable cause
    prior to the search of his luggage and
    therefore the evidence recovered from his
    luggage should be suppressed as the fruit
    of an unlawful arrest. Generally, when
    police actions create a situation that
    exceeds a short detainment, a stop
    becomes an arrest which requires probable
    cause that the person is committing or
    has committed a crime. Beck v. Ohio, 
    379 U.S. 89
    , 96-97 (1964). Because we have
    already determined that the search of the
    luggage was reasonable under the extended
    border search doctrine, this issue is
    irrelevant. See United States v.
    $73,275.00, 
    710 F.2d 283
    , 287-90 (7th
    Cir. 1983) (holding that the seizure of
    currency was lawful where defendant
    argued that the evidence was fruit of an
    unlawful seizure, yet the court found
    that the search was lawful on other
    grounds).
    Nevertheless, we would agree with the
    district court’s analysis. The detention
    of Teng was necessary and limited in
    scope and duration, and the handcuffing
    and transportation of Teng back to the
    international terminal did not convert
    the stop into an arrest. This case is
    different from our previous case law in
    this area, see, e.g., United States v.
    Glenna, 
    878 F.2d 967
    (7th Cir. 1989)
    (ruling that the use of handcuffs did not
    transform an investigatory stop to an
    arrest when the officer’s safety was at
    risk), because Teng himself did not pose
    a threat to the officers nor a flight
    risk. But it still does not fall into the
    category of cases where the use of
    handcuffs transforms an investigatory
    stop into an arrest. Under these facts
    and in this unique situation, the use of
    handcuffs was reasonable. First, Teng was
    only handcuffed during the drive across
    the airport tarmac, and the handcuffs did
    not increase his level of confinement
    given the fact that he was already
    confined in a customs vehicle. The
    transportation was of a short duration
    and necessary to confirm the officers’
    suspicions given that the drug testing
    equipment was at the customs office.
    Finally, because the transportation
    occurred in a volatile area, the
    circumstances here are quite unique. The
    car was driven in the highly restricted
    tarmac area where planes are taxiing and
    baggage trains are rolling. Risk to the
    driver and everyone else in the
    restricted area would be extreme if an
    unauthorized person were to take control
    of the vehicle and drive erratically.
    Safety and common sense allow this extra
    precaution with an unknown passenger
    whose movement is already restricted when
    he is riding in the car. Because of these
    dangers, it is customs policy to
    usehandcuffs while transporting
    individuals across the tarmac. Given
    these unique facts, the district court
    was correct in finding that Teng was not
    under arrest when he was transported to
    the customs office in handcuffs.
    III.   Conclusion
    The search of Teng’s luggage was
    reasonable under the extended border
    search doctrine. The agents had a reason
    able certainty that he had crossed the
    border and that his luggage had not
    changed condition, and they had a
    reasonable suspicion that criminal
    activity was occurring. In addition,
    because Teng was not arrested prior to
    the search, it was not a search incident
    to an unlawful arrest. For these reasons,
    we affirm the district court.
    FOOTNOTES
    /1 While this case does not involve issues of na-
    tional security that might be implicated by
    terrorist activities, the events of September 11,
    2001, only emphasize the heightened need to
    conduct searches at this nation’s international
    airports. "[A]ttempts to counter foreign threats
    to the national security require the utmost
    stealth, speed and secrecy." United States v.
    Truong Ding Hung, 
    629 F.2d 908
    , 913 (4th Cir.
    1980) (adopting the foreign intelligence excep-
    tion to the Fourth Amendment). Searches without
    probable cause can be constitutional "when spe-
    cial needs, beyond the normal needs for law
    enforcement make the elements of a warrant and
    probable cause requirement impracticable." Ver-
    onia School District 47j v. Acton, 
    515 U.S. 646
    ,
    653 (1995) (citations omitted). We now know the
    serious threats that our border agents need to
    guard against and we must be mindful of the
    special needs of the agents in responding to
    those threats.
    /2 Customs agents have the statutory authority to
    conduct searches pursuant to 19 U.S.C. sec. 482.
    The statute allows searches of individuals "wher-
    ever found" with reasonable cause to believe that
    the suspect has items that were imported into the
    country "contrary to law." 
    Id. The phrase
    "wher-
    ever found" is not infinite in scope but has been
    interpreted to be limited by Fourth Amendment
    reasonableness constraints. See 
    Bilir, 592 F.2d at 739
    , n. 6.
    /3 Typically, once a passenger leaves customs at
    O’Hare there is an opportunity within the inter-
    national terminal to immediately check luggage
    with any connecting airlines. If Teng had taken
    advantage of the immediate check-in area then
    there would be little doubt that his luggage was
    in the same condition when it was searched by the
    agents as it was when it crossed the border
    because it would have been out of his control.
    The agents were not aware at the time that his
    luggage was pulled from the plane whether he had
    checked his own bags at the American Airlines
    terminal or the international terminal. It is
    also unclear whether or not they could have
    learned this information from Teng due to his
    limited ability to speak English.
    /4 The district court did not specifically mention
    in its ruling that Teng’s failure to respond to
    the page at the American Airlinesterminal con-
    tributed to the suspicion of the officers. Also,
    the court did not mention that when he spotted
    Teng, the inspector noticed Teng was "kind of
    hunched over and trying to stay out of sight."
    However, this information was disclosed during
    the direct examination of Inspector Joseph Mar-
    cocig during the evidentiary hearing on the
    motion to suppress. Inspector Marcocig was subse-
    quently cross-examined by Teng’s attorney. Even
    if the district court did not mention these
    facts, this court may consider them in examining
    the totality of the circumstances that led to
    stopping Teng. See United States v. Brown, 
    232 F.3d 589
    , 594 (7th Cir. 2000) (stating that in
    determining whether an officer had reasonable
    suspicion to stop a suspect we "’look to the
    record as a whole to determine what facts were
    known to the officer and then consider whether a
    reasonable officer in those circumstances would
    have been suspicious.’"(emphasis added) (cita-
    tions omitted)); see also United States v. Til-
    mon, 
    19 F.3d 1221
    , 1224 (7th Cir. 1994) ("In
    reviewing a suppression motion, we may consider
    evidence introduced both at the pretrial hearing
    and at the trial itself.").
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 01-2422

Judges: Per Curiam

Filed Date: 4/4/2002

Precedential Status: Precedential

Modified Date: 9/24/2015

Authorities (36)

United States v. Wendy Jean Wardlaw, Etc., United States of ... , 576 F.2d 932 ( 1978 )

United States v. Georgette Braks , 842 F.2d 509 ( 1988 )

United States v. Truong Dinh Hung, United States of America ... , 629 F.2d 908 ( 1980 )

United States v. Carol Asbury and John Bruce , 586 F.2d 973 ( 1978 )

United States v. Jewel Rose Hyde Patricia Yvonne Gray Karen ... , 37 F.3d 116 ( 1994 )

United States v. John Terrance Garcia, Phillip G. Jackman , 672 F.2d 1349 ( 1982 )

United States v. Gilbert Espinoza-Seanez, Ernesto Espinoza-... , 862 F.2d 526 ( 1989 )

United States v. Nina Helene Fogelman, Mark Knight Odiorne, ... , 586 F.2d 337 ( 1978 )

United States v. Raymond Wayne Ramos , 645 F.2d 318 ( 1981 )

United States v. Rafael R. Martinez, Jr. , 481 F.2d 214 ( 1973 )

United States v. Jose Delgado , 810 F.2d 480 ( 1987 )

United States v. Noe Lopez-Gonzalez , 916 F.2d 1011 ( 1990 )

United States v. Nedim Bilir, United States of America v. ... , 592 F.2d 735 ( 1979 )

United States v. Rita Ann Cardenas and Shamsideen Abiodun ... , 9 F.3d 1139 ( 1994 )

United States v. Lawrence Brown III , 232 F.3d 589 ( 2000 )

United States v. Spencer Ray Tilmon , 19 F.3d 1221 ( 1994 )

United States v. Jimmie C. Dorsey , 641 F.2d 1213 ( 1981 )

United States v. Wayne E. Glenna , 878 F.2d 967 ( 1989 )

United States v. Willa M. Johnson , 991 F.2d 1287 ( 1993 )

United States v. David John Odland , 502 F.2d 148 ( 1974 )

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