United States v. Nicholas P. Marroccol. ( 2009 )


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  •                               In the
    United States Court of Appeals
    For the Seventh Circuit
    No. 07-3101
    U NITED S TATES OF A MERICA,
    Plaintiff-Appellant,
    v.
    N ICHOLAS P. M ARROCCO AND V INCENT J. F ALLON,
    Appellees,
    and
    F UNDS IN THE A MOUNT OF O NE H UNDRED
    T HOUSAND O NE H UNDRED AND T WENTY
    D OLLARS ($100,120.00),
    Defendant.
    Appeal from the United States District Court
    for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.
    No. 1:03-cv-03644—Elaine E. Bucklo, Judge.
    A RGUED N OVEMBER 5, 2008—D ECIDED A UGUST 24, 2009
    Before E ASTERBROOK, Chief Judge, and R IPPLE and
    R OVNER, Circuit Judges.
    2                                              No. 07-3101
    R IPPLE, Circuit Judge. After discovering that Vincent
    Fallon had purchased a one-way train ticket in cash a
    short time before his trip, Amtrak police officer Eric
    Romano concluded that Mr. Fallon fit the profile of a
    typical drug courier. Shortly before Mr. Fallon’s train was
    scheduled to depart, Officer Romano and Officer Sterling
    Terry approached Mr. Fallon in his compartment, where
    they asked him several questions. After Mr. Fallon ad-
    mitted that he was carrying $50,000 in a locked briefcase,
    the officers seized the briefcase, which was found to
    contain $100,120.00 in cash (the “funds”). The Govern-
    ment subsequently instituted a forfeiture proceeding
    under 21 U.S.C. § 881(a)(6). During that proceeding,
    Mr. Fallon and Nicholas Marrocco (collectively the “claim-
    ants”) filed a motion to suppress the evidence of a dog-
    sniff test that had indicated that the funds carried the
    odor of drugs. The district court granted the motion. It
    later determined that Mr. Marrocco was the lawful
    owner of the funds and ordered the funds returned to
    him. The Government subsequently filed this appeal. For
    the reasons set forth in this opinion, we reverse the deci-
    sion of the district court and remand this case for further
    proceedings.
    I
    BACKGROUND
    A.
    On December 6, 2002, Officer Romano performed a
    search of Amtrak’s reservation computer to determine
    whether any of the passengers scheduled to depart Chi-
    No. 07-3101                                                 3
    cago’s Union Station on that date had purchased their
    tickets under suspicious circumstances. He discovered
    that Mr. Fallon had paid $310.80 in cash for a one-way
    ticket to Seattle less than 72 hours before his train’s sched-
    uled departure. Officer Romano concluded that the
    details of Mr. Fallon’s purchase fit a drug-courier profile.
    Mr. Fallon arrived at the platform twenty minutes before
    the train’s scheduled departure time. Upon learning of
    Mr. Fallon’s arrival, Officer Romano and Officer Terry
    approached Mr. Fallon’s compartment, identified them-
    selves and showed Mr. Fallon their badges. At the offi-
    cers’ request, Mr. Fallon gave the officers his identification
    and ticket. He told them that he was traveling to Seattle to
    visit a girlfriend. The officers asked Mr. Fallon whether he
    was carrying any drugs, weapons or large sums of money.
    They noticed that Mr. Fallon was sweating when he replied
    that he was not carrying any of those items. When the
    officers inquired about the backpack and briefcase in Mr.
    Fallon’s compartment, Mr. Fallon stated that the bags were
    his, that he had packed them himself and that no one had
    given him anything to carry. Mr. Fallon allowed the
    officers to search the backpack; they found nothing incrimi-
    nating. Mr. Fallon denied the officers’ request to search the
    briefcase. Officer Romano then took the briefcase from the
    compartment and asked Mr. Fallon if he had a key to
    the briefcase. Mr. Fallon said he did not, and he ex-
    plained that he had used a knife to open it. He then told
    Officer Romano that the briefcase contained $50,000.
    The officers then asked Mr. Romano to accompany them
    to the Amtrak police office, and Mr. Fallon complied.
    Officer Romano used a pocket knife to open the briefcase
    4                                              No. 07-3101
    and discovered that it contained bundles of money. He
    then quickly shut the briefcase. Officer Terry then called
    a police dispatcher and requested that a police dog (the
    “canine unit”) be brought to the office to conduct a
    sniff search of the briefcase. Later, the canine unit
    arrived at the office and alerted to the briefcase,
    indicating that it contained drugs or money con-
    taminated with drugs. The currency was removed from
    the briefcase, sealed into evidence bags and sent to a bank
    to be counted. The bank determined that the funds
    amounted to $100,120.00.
    B.
    The officers retained the briefcase and the funds; the
    Government subsequently filed a complaint, alleging
    that the funds were subject to forfeiture under the Con-
    trolled Substances Act. 21 U.S.C. § 881(a)(6). During the
    events that followed, Mr. Fallon indicated that the brief-
    case and its contents belonged to Mr. Marrocco; the
    claimants asserted that Mr. Marrocco had given the
    briefcase and the funds to Mr. Fallon and had instructed
    him to place the funds in a safe deposit box for
    Mr. Marrocco’s later use.
    The claimants moved to suppress the seizure of the
    funds. The district court granted the motion on March 21,
    2005 (the “March 2005 ruling”) and simultaneously set a
    No. 07-3101                                                 5
    status hearing for April 1, 2005.1 It concluded that, al-
    though reasonable suspicion justified the temporary
    detention of the briefcase, Officer Romano’s physical
    search of the briefcase was improper. The Government
    moved for reconsideration, arguing, among other things,
    that the suppression of the contents of the briefcase was
    improper under either the inevitable discovery doctrine
    or the independent source doctrine. On September 21,
    2006, the district court denied the Government’s motion
    for reconsideration (the “September 2006 ruling”), but
    did not determine ownership of the briefcase.2
    On April 24, 2007, the claimants filed a motion to deter-
    mine ownership of the funds. The district court held that
    the evidence that the dog alerted to the briefcase was
    not admissible against either of the claimants and con-
    cluded that, absent the evidence of the dog alert, the
    Government had failed to demonstrate a substantial
    connection between the seized funds and illegal narcotics
    activity. The court concluded—based on Mr. Marrocco’s
    deposition testimony, his answers to interrogatories and
    the presumption that the possessor of property that is
    seized is entitled to its return—that Mr. Marrocco was
    the lawful owner of the funds. Accordingly, on July 5, 2007,
    the court ordered the funds returned to Mr. Marrocco.
    1
    At this time, the court did not enter judgment pursuant to
    Rule 58 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (“Rule 58”).
    2
    Again, the court did not enter a Rule 58 judgment. However,
    it did state that any pending motions were “terminated as
    moot,” and it declared the case “terminated.” R.86.
    6                                                     No. 07-3101
    The Government filed this appeal within sixty days of
    that ruling.
    II
    DISCUSSION
    The Government challenges the district court’s order
    requiring the funds to be returned to Mr. Marrocco.3
    3
    The district court had jurisdiction over the civil forfeiture
    action under 28 U.S.C. § 1355, which provides that “[t]he
    district courts shall have original jurisdiction . . . of any action
    or proceeding for the recovery or enforcement of any . . .
    forfeiture . . . .”
    The parties dispute whether this court has jurisdiction over
    the present appeal. Mr. Marrocco argues that the district
    court’s ruling on the motion to suppress became final on
    August 22, 2005, 150 days after the March 2005 ruling. See Fed.
    R. Civ. P. 58(c) (indicating that judgment in a civil proceeding
    is deemed entered either when the judgment is set out in a
    separate document or 150 days after the judgment is entered
    in the civil docket). He submits that the September 2006 ruling
    on the Government’s motion for reconsideration merged with
    the court’s March 2005 ruling and became a single, final,
    appealable order. Mr. Marrocco submits that, because the
    Government did not appeal within sixty days of that final order,
    the Government’s appeal is untimely. See Fed. R. App. P.
    4(a)(1)(B) (“When the United States or its officer or agency is
    a party, the notice of appeal may be filed by any party within
    60 days after the judgment or order appealed from is entered.”).
    (continued...)
    No. 07-3101                                                         7
    3
    (...continued)
    We do not believe that the March 2005 ruling and the Septem-
    ber 2006 ruling constituted final, appealable judgments. In
    neither of those rulings did the court set out the relief to
    which the parties were entitled; thus, even though the court
    stated that the case was “terminated” in September 2006, there
    was no effectual judgment entered at that time. See Horn v.
    Transcon Lines, Inc., 
    898 F.2d 589
    , 591 (7th Cir. 1990) (“A docu-
    ment saying that judgment is entered, but not saying who is
    entitled to what from whom, is ineffectual.”); see also Reytblatt v.
    Denton, 
    812 F.2d 1042
    , 1044 (7th Cir. 1987) (“[The final judgment
    in a case] must set forth the relief to which the prevailing party
    is entitled or the fact that the plaintiff has been denied all
    relief.”). Indeed, despite the district court’s statements, it
    appears that the district court contemplated further pro-
    ceedings would take place. At the time the court granted the
    claimants’ motion to suppress the funds, it simultaneously set
    a status hearing for April 1, 2005. Furthermore, it recognized
    on July 5, 2007, that the claimants’ motion to determine owner-
    ship of the funds was a proceeding in the “forfeiture action
    brought by the government.” R.109 at 1. The March 2005 ruling
    and the September 2006 ruling properly are viewed as interme-
    diate evidentiary rulings in a larger ongoing case; such rulings
    are not final judgments. See In re the Search of 949 Erie St., Racine,
    Wisc., 
    824 F.2d 538
    , 540 (7th Cir. 1987) (noting that an order
    denying the suppression of evidence ordinarily is not
    appealable, but stating that a motion for the return of seized
    property may be immediately appealable “because such a
    motion may represent the entirety of the case below” (emphasis
    added)). The district court did not enter a final, appeal-
    able judgment until July 5, 2007, when it determined that
    (continued...)
    8                                                      No. 07-3101
    It submits that the district court erroneously held that
    the evidence of the dog’s alert to the briefcase was
    not adm issible against Mr. Marrocco.4 All
    3
    (...continued)
    Mr. Marrocco was entitled to the funds and entered a separate
    judgment in the forfeiture action. R.110.
    4
    As the Government correctly notes, Mr. Marrocco does not
    have standing to claim that the officers impermissibly detained
    Mr. Fallon. See United States v. Torres, 
    32 F.3d 225
    , 229-30 (7th
    Cir. 1994) (“ ‘It has long been the rule that a defendant can
    urge the suppression of evidence obtained in violation of the
    Fourth Amendment only if that defendant demonstrates that
    his Fourth Amendment rights were violated by the challenged
    search or seizure.’ ” (quoting United States v. Padilla, 
    508 U.S. 77
    ,
    81 (1993))). However, Mr. Marrocco may establish that he has
    standing to challenge the search and detention of the briefcase,
    provided he can show that he held a legitimate expectation
    of privacy in the briefcase. 
    Torres, 32 F.3d at 230
    . We con-
    clude that Mr. Marrocco has satisfied that burden.
    “A reasonable expectation of privacy is present when (1) the
    defendant exhibits an actual or subjective expectation of
    privacy, and (2) the expectation is one that society is prepared to
    recognize as reasonable.” United States v. Amaral-Estrada, 
    509 F.3d 820
    , 827 (7th Cir. 2007). As the owner of the briefcase,
    Mr. Marrocco had an objectively reasonable expectation of
    privacy in the briefcase and its contents. See United States v.
    Basinski, 
    226 F.3d 829
    , 835, 838 (7th Cir. 2000) (concluding
    that the defendant retained a privacy interest in the locked
    briefcase he entrusted to a friend, 
    id. at 838,
    and noting that
    “ ‘[f]ew places outside one’s home justify a greater expectation
    (continued...)
    No. 07-3101                                                          9
    4
    (...continued)
    of privacy than does the briefcase,’ ” 
    id. at 835
    (quoting United
    States v. Freire, 
    710 F.2d 1515
    , 1519 (11th Cir. 1983))); United States
    v. Powell, 
    929 F.2d 1190
    , 1195 (7th Cir. 1991) (“Ownership creates,
    in other words, an expectation of privacy that society is pre-
    pared to recognize as ‘reasonable.’ ” (citation and quotation
    marks omitted)). That Mr. Marrocco subjectively held this
    expectation is evidenced by the fact that he locked the briefcase,
    preventing others from opening it and examining its contents.
    Cf. 
    Amaral-Estrada, 509 F.3d at 827
    (holding that the defendant
    had no privacy interest in the car, which he denied owning,
    when he expected that others would enter the vehicle and take
    items from or leave items in the vehicle).
    Mr. Marrocco’s ownership interest was not diminished by
    the fact that he entrusted the briefcase to the care of another.
    See 
    Basinski, 226 F.3d at 837
    , 838 (noting that the defendant
    “demonstrate[d] a strong desire to preserve both his
    possessory and privacy interests” in his locked briefcase when
    he entrusted it to a friend and instructed him to hide it, and
    concluding that the defendant retained a legitimate privacy
    interest in the briefcase). Thus, even though Mr. Marrocco did
    not physically control the briefcase, he retained his ownership
    interest and his attendant expectation of privacy in the case
    and its contents. This privacy interest was, however, somewhat
    limited by the fact that Mr. Marrocco caused his briefcase to be
    placed on a train. Because of that act, Mr. Marrocco could not
    have expected that his briefcase would not be touched or
    moved. Nevertheless, he did retain both an expectation of
    privacy in the contents of his luggage and an expectation that
    his briefcase would not be seized in an unlawful manner. See
    United States v. Guzman, 
    75 F.3d 1090
    , 1095 (6th Cir. 1996) (noting
    (continued...)
    10                                                   No. 07-3101
    agree that the officers had reasonable suspicion to detain
    the briefcase in the first instance. Nor, on appeal, does
    anyone contend that the officers could have lawfully
    opened the briefcase. The Government claims, however,
    that the evidence of the briefcase’s contents should
    have been admitted against Mr. Marrocco because, even
    without the unlawful search, the officers inevitably
    would have discovered that the briefcase contained
    money contaminated by drugs.5
    When considering a district court’s ruling on a motion
    to suppress, we review the court’s legal conclusions de
    novo, and we defer to the district court’s factual findings
    unless those findings are clearly erroneous. United States
    v. Martin, 
    422 F.3d 597
    , 601 (7th Cir. 2005). We evaluate
    the propriety of the officers’ conduct at each stage of the
    investigation, viewing their actions in light of the
    totality of the circumstances.6
    4
    (...continued)
    that “a passenger on a common carrier has a reasonable ex-
    pectation that the contents of his luggage will not be exposed
    absent consent or a search warrant”); see also Bond v. United
    States, 
    529 U.S. 334
    , 338-39 (2000) (abrogating our holding in
    United States v. McDonald, 
    100 F.3d 1320
    , 1326-27 (7th Cir. 1996),
    by holding that the physical manipulation of a bus passenger’s
    bag violated the Fourth Amendment).
    5
    The Government does not argue that the remedy of suppres-
    sion is unavailable in forfeiture proceedings brought under
    21 U.S.C. § 881.
    6
    See United States v. Martin, 
    422 F.3d 597
    , 601-02 (7th Cir. 2005)
    (considering the events that led the arresting officer to detain
    (continued...)
    No. 07-3101                                                      11
    A.
    We first consider the officers’ initial encounter with
    Mr. Fallon to determine whether they were permitted to
    seize and detain the briefcase and its contents.7 The
    limited investigative detention of luggage is permissible
    under the Fourth Amendment where an investigating
    officer reasonably believes that the luggage contains
    narcotics. United States v. Place, 
    462 U.S. 696
    , 706 (1983). The
    suspicion necessary to justify such an intrusion must
    amount to “more than a mere hunch,” United States v.
    LePage, 
    477 F.3d 485
    , 487 (7th Cir. 2007) (citing United
    States v. Ganser, 
    315 F.3d 839
    , 843 (7th Cir. 2003)), and
    cannot be based solely on an officer’s conclusion that a
    suspect fits a drug-courier profile, United States v.
    Sterling, 
    909 F.2d 1078
    , 1083 (7th Cir. 1990) (citing Reid v.
    Georgia, 
    448 U.S. 438
    , 440-41 (1980) (per curiam)). Instead,
    the suspicion justifying such conduct must be based on
    6
    (...continued)
    the defendant, conduct additional investigation, request a
    background check, and summon a canine unit, and concluding
    that, “[a]t each stage . . . the additional information obtained
    justified additional investigation”); Smith v. Ball State Univ., 
    295 F.3d 763
    , 768 (7th Cir. 2002) (noting, in determining whether
    an investigatory stop evolved into an illegal arrest, that “we
    evaluate the totality of the circumstances of each case, and
    we examine separately each stage in the encounter”).
    7
    The district court concluded that the brief detention of the
    briefcase was justified. At the outset, we consider the reason-
    ableness of the initial detention because it is relevant to the
    inevitable discovery discussion that follows.
    12                                                   No. 07-3101
    specific, articulable facts which, judged in light of the
    officers’ experience, would justify the intrusion. United
    States v. Yang, 
    286 F.3d 940
    , 949 (7th Cir. 2002). However,
    even when an officer has reasonable suspicion, his ability
    to detain a suspect’s baggage is limited: Any such deten-
    tion must be reasonable in time and scope given the
    totality of the circumstances surrounding the investiga-
    tory act. See 
    Sterling, 909 F.2d at 1085
    (“Even if the decision
    to detain a suitcase is made on the basis of reasonable
    suspicion, the duration of the detention may abridge
    constitutional standards.”).
    With these standards in mind, we turn to the officers’
    initial questioning of Mr. Fallon. At the time that the
    officers approached Mr. Fallon’s compartment, they
    knew that Mr. Fallon had purchased a one-way train
    ticket with cash within a few days of his scheduled depar-
    ture. These facts, as Officer Romano noted, fit the profile
    of a drug courier. Nevertheless, the officers reasonably
    could not have suspected, based on these facts, that
    Mr. Fallon was carrying drugs or money associated with
    drugs.8 Thus, when the officers initially approached
    Mr. Fallon, they were not permitted to seize or search
    the briefcase.
    8
    See, e.g., United States v. Goodwin, 
    449 F.3d 766
    , 767 (7th Cir.
    2006) (“This pattern—last-minute cash purchase of a one-way
    ticket—is deemed by enforcers of the drug laws to be the
    profile of a drug courier, though not to establish probable
    cause or even reasonable suspicion to believe that someone
    who fits the profile is a drug courier.” (citation omitted)).
    No. 07-3101                                                      13
    Nevertheless, the events that transpired during the
    officers’ initial encounter with Mr. Fallon gave them
    sufficient reason to detain the briefcase. The officers
    noticed that Mr. Fallon began sweating when they asked
    him whether he was carrying weapons, drugs or large
    sums of money. Furthermore, Mr. Fallon gave con-
    flicting responses when questioned about the briefcase’s
    contents: He initially denied that he was carrying large
    sums of money, but later told Officer Romano that the
    case contained $50,000. Mr. Fallon’s demeanor and re-
    sponses to the officers’ questions led the officers to
    become suspicious not only of Mr. Fallon but also of the
    contents of the briefcase.9 The officers were permitted to
    consider Mr. Fallon’s responses and mannerisms, the
    circumstances surrounding his ticket purchase, their own
    experience and knowledge, and “the characteristics of
    persons engaged in illegal activities,” when determining
    whether the briefcase was likely to contain contraband.
    
    Sterling, 909 F.2d at 1083-84
    .1 0 These facts gave rise to
    9
    See United States v. Sterling, 
    909 F.2d 1078
    , 1084 (7th Cir. 1990)
    (noting that the same facts that justified the detention of the
    suspect justified the detention of the suitcase itself); see also
    United States v. Place, 
    462 U.S. 696
    , 708-09 (1983) (“[W]hen the
    police seize luggage from the suspect’s custody, we think the
    limitations applicable to investigative detentions of the
    person should define the permissible scope of an investigative
    detention of the person’s luggage on less than probable cause.”).
    10
    In Sterling, we concluded that the officers, who were trained
    to identify drug smugglers on the basis of circumstantial
    (continued...)
    14                                                    No. 07-3101
    a reasonable suspicion that the briefcase contained
    drugs, or money associated with drugs. United States v.
    Goodwin, 
    449 F.3d 766
    , 768-69 (7th Cir. 2006) (“The combi-
    nation of fitting the drug profile and giving a suspicious
    answer to the question about looking inside his luggage
    created a reasonable suspicion that the defendant’s
    luggage contained contraband.” (citations omitted)).1 1
    The officers were therefore permitted to detain the brief-
    case for a reasonable period of time in order to investi-
    gate further.
    As we already have mentioned, however, it is not
    enough for the Government to show that the officers
    reasonably suspected Mr. Fallon of engaging in illegal
    activity; it must also show that the officers’ detention of
    the suitcase was reasonable under the circumstances.
    The propriety of such a detention is determined by
    “balancing ‘the nature and quality of the intrusion on the
    individual’s Fourth Amendment interests against the
    importance of the governmental interests alleged to
    justify the intrusion.’ ” United States v. Borys, 
    766 F.2d 304
    ,
    10
    (...continued)
    evidence, reasonably could have suspected the defendant of
    carrying drugs based on (1) her false and suspicious state-
    ments and (2) evidence that she conformed to a drug smuggler
    profile, including evidence that she purchased her ticket with
    cash. 
    Sterling, 909 F.2d at 1084
    .
    11
    See also United States v. Borys, 
    766 F.2d 304
    , 312 (7th Cir. 1985)
    (“What fueled the agents’ suspicions, and justifiably so, was
    Borys’ lying about how long he had been away rather than
    the actual length of the stay.”).
    No. 07-3101                                              15
    312 (7th Cir. 1985) (quoting 
    Place, 462 U.S. at 703
    ). In
    conducting this analysis, we may consider a number of
    factors pertaining to both the intrusion and the counter-
    vailing government interests. These interests include,
    among other things, the availability of alternative means
    of investigation, the extent to which the individual con-
    tributed to the intrusion, the significance of the offense
    at issue and the consequences of delaying the investiga-
    tion. 
    Goodwin, 449 F.3d at 770-71
    .
    The Government submits that the officers’ detention of
    the briefcase was reasonable. It does not deny that, as a
    result of the officers’ actions, the briefcase did not reach
    its intended destination. Instead, it asserts, the officers’
    actions were reasonable despite those consequences
    because there were no viable alternatives to detaining
    the briefcase and removing it from the train for a dog-sniff
    test. Mr. Marrocco, however, disputes the Government’s
    claim and asserts that a less-invasive alternative was
    available to the officers. Because Mr. Fallon purchased
    his ticket two days prior to the train’s scheduled
    departure, Mr. Marrocco submits that the officers could
    have investigated the circumstances of the purchase at
    an earlier time, assessed whether Mr. Fallon fit the profile
    of a drug courier, and arranged for a canine unit to
    be present at the station upon Mr. Fallon’s arrival.
    Mr. Marrocco maintains that the availability of this alter-
    native, less-invasive means of investigation renders
    the officers’ conduct unreasonable.
    In support of this argument, Mr. Marrocco points to
    our opinion in 
    Goodwin, 449 F.3d at 772
    . In that case, the
    16                                               No. 07-3101
    arresting officers seized the defendant’s luggage,
    removed it from the train and subjected it to a dog-sniff
    test because they reasonably suspected the defendant to
    be carrying contraband; however, the defendant in that
    case, unlike Mr. Fallon, did not purchase his train ticket
    until the morning of his departure. 
    Id. at 767-69.
    In affirm-
    ing the denial of the defendant’s motion to suppress,
    we found the timing of the defendant’s purchase to be
    significant: Because the defendant bought his ticket an
    hour before departure, the only feasible means of investi-
    gating the luggage was to remove it from the train. 
    Id. at 771.
      Mr. Marrocco urges that, under Goodwin, the officers
    were required to have a canine unit waiting at the
    platform at the time of Mr. Fallon’s arrival; we disagree.
    Even if the officers could have arranged for a canine unit
    to be at the station on the day of Mr. Fallon’s departure,
    we cannot accept Mr. Marrocco’s suggestion that our
    holding in Goodwin required them to do so. In Goodwin,
    we noted that, “[i]f the defendant had bought his ticket
    a week in advance and the police had known then that
    he fit the profile of a drug courier, [the police] could
    have arranged for [the dog] to be at Union Station when
    the train was scheduled to depart.” 
    Id. at 771.
    Contrary
    to Mr. Marrocco’s arguments, that statement was simply
    a hypothetical example used to explain why the timing
    of the defendant’s arrival was important in that case.
    Although, under the specific facts of Goodwin, we con-
    cluded that the defendant’s tardiness excused the offi-
    cers’ failure to have a canine unit present at the station, it
    does not necessarily follow that, in any case where a
    No. 07-3101                                                 17
    suspect’s travel plans are known in advance, officers must
    make arrangements to have a canine unit at the ready.
    The Supreme Court’s opinion in United States v. Place,
    
    462 U.S. 696
    , 709 (1983), is not to the contrary. In that
    case, federal narcotics agents became suspicious of the
    defendant’s behavior at the Miami International Airport.
    Because the Miami agents did not have time to search
    the defendant’s bags prior to his flight’s departure, the
    agents relayed their information to Drug Enforcement
    Administration (“DEA”) authorities in New York. 
    Id. at 698.
    When the defendant’s flight landed in New York,
    two DEA agents seized the defendant’s luggage and took
    it to another airport for a dog-sniff test. 
    Id. at 699.
    The
    Court found the ninety-minute detention between the
    seizure and the dog-sniff test to be unreasonable. 
    Id. at 709-
    10. After stating that, “in assessing the effect of the
    length of the detention, we take into account whether
    the police diligently pursue their investigation,” the Court
    criticized the officers’ failure to arrange for a drug-sniffing
    dog to be present at the airport terminal, even though
    they had the time and opportunity to do so. 
    Id. at 709.
      We do not read Place as requiring that officers must
    arrange for a canine unit to be present at a particular
    location whenever they have time to make such arrange-
    ments prior to a suspect’s arrival. Indeed, although it
    may have been reasonable for the officers to have made
    such arrangements under the facts in Place, it does not
    necessarily follow that it would have been reasonable
    for the officers to arrange for a canine unit to be present
    at the station in this case. In Place, the DEA agents knew,
    18                                                No. 07-3101
    prior to the defendant’s arrival, that the defendant’s
    actions and statements had caused the Miami agents to
    suspect that the defendant might have been carrying
    drugs. 
    Id. at 698.
    In this case, by contrast, the only informa-
    tion that the officers had prior to Mr. Fallon’s arrival was
    that his ticket purchase conformed with a drug-courier
    profile; they had not had the opportunity to observe
    his actions or demeanor, and, in fact, they did not even
    know whether Mr. Fallon was carrying luggage.
    Rather than setting forth a bright-line rule that a canine
    unit must be on-hand whenever police have advance
    notice of a suspected drug courier’s arrival, Place and
    Goodwin simply recognize that we must assess the reason-
    ableness of a particular seizure by looking to a number
    of factors that will vary from case to case. 
    Id. at 709-
    10;
    
    Goodwin, 449 F.3d at 771-72
    . This flexible, fact-based
    approach allows us to consider the many factors that
    may impact the reasonableness of an officer’s decision
    to summon—or not to summon—a canine unit. We recog-
    nize that, even when investigatory officers would prefer
    to station a canine unit in a particular area, it will not
    always be possible for them to do so. Many factors could
    contribute to the availability of a canine unit. See 
    Borys, 766 F.2d at 314
    . For example, in some jurisdictions, the
    demand for such units may exceed their availability.
    
    Goodwin, 449 F.3d at 771
    (“And apparently there
    aren’t enough of these highly trained dogs to have one
    tethered at every bus station, train station, and airport
    in Chicago.”). In addition, officers may have difficulty
    predicting precisely when and where a canine unit will
    No. 07-3101                                                   19
    be required. See 
    Borys, 766 F.2d at 314
    (noting that
    agents cannot “predict precisely when they [will]
    require the services of a dog, for they do not have cause
    to suspect passengers on every flight they have under
    surveillance”). Furthermore, it may be that a particular
    location would not be suitable for a dog-sniff test. 
    Goodwin, 449 F.3d at 771
    (“A sniffer dog might not do his stuff in
    the unfamiliar setting of a train’s interior.”). Other con-
    siderations that are unrelated to the availability of a
    canine unit may also impact whether it is feasible for
    an officer to obtain such a unit at a particular time. See, e.g.,
    
    Sterling, 909 F.2d at 1085
    (noting that it was not feasible
    for an agent to leave to summon a canine unit). This
    flexible approach allows us to consider these and other
    factors when considering whether a particular search or
    seizure is reasonable. See 
    Goodwin, 449 F.3d at 771-72
    (recognizing that the need for a stop depends on, among
    other factors, the seriousness of the offense, the conse-
    quences of delay, the likelihood of the suspect’s involve-
    ment in the offense, the risk of imminent departure, the
    availability of alternative means of investigation and the
    length of the detention).
    We believe that the officers acted reasonably when
    they removed the briefcase from the train in order to
    conduct a dog-sniff test. The information that the officers
    possessed prior to their initial encounter with Mr. Fallon
    was not so persuasive as to justify having a canine
    unit at the ready prior to Mr. Fallon’s arrival. The
    officers knew only that the circumstances surrounding
    Mr. Fallon’s ticket purchase fit a drug-courier profile; this
    20                                                  No. 07-3101
    information, as we already have mentioned, amounted to
    less than a reasonable suspicion that Mr. Fallon was
    involved in transporting drugs or drug proceeds. Given
    law enforcement’s interest in conserving resources
    and avoiding unnecessary procedures, we do not think
    that it was unreasonable, in this case, for the officers to
    refrain from arranging the dog-sniff test until after
    they had interacted with Mr. Fallon, observed his re-
    sponses and were able to draw some conclusions about
    the nature of his activities.1 2
    In addition, the officers acted with reasonable prompt-
    ness: Although Mr. Fallon purchased his ticket on Decem-
    ber 4, the officers did not learn of his purchase until
    December 6, the day his train was scheduled to depart.
    Shortly after the officers learned of the suspicious
    nature of Mr. Fallon’s ticket purchase, they investigated
    further. Once the officers reasonably suspected that Mr.
    Fallon was carrying money associated with drugs, they
    removed the briefcase from the train, took it to their
    office and arranged for the dog-sniff test, which took
    place within a reasonable time period. There is no sug-
    gestion that the officers unnecessarily delayed carrying
    out that test, nor is there any indication that the officers
    engaged in any deliberate misbehavior intended to
    12
    See 
    Borys, 766 F.2d at 314
    (suggesting that the failure to have
    a canine unit immediately available may not be unreasonable
    where officers are “unsure where and when they might spot
    someone behaving in a manner to justify detaining the suspect’s
    luggage”).
    No. 07-3101                                            21
    delay Mr. Fallon unnecessarily. We therefore conclude
    that, based on the information available to the officers,
    the timeliness of their response, and the serious nature
    of the suspected crime, the officers behaved reasonably
    by removing the briefcase from the train and arranging
    a dog-sniff test soon thereafter.
    B.
    Our conclusion that the officers were permitted to
    seize the briefcase and remove it from the train does not
    end our inquiry. After the officers removed the briefcase,
    and before they obtained a warrant or even probable
    cause to search it, Officer Romano opened the briefcase
    and observed its contents. There is no doubt that this
    warrantless search was constitutionally impermissible.
    We therefore must determine the constitutional signifi-
    cance of that unlawful search on our analysis.
    Mr. Marrocco contends that, because of the unlawful
    search, the results of the dog-sniff test and the evidence
    of the briefcase’s contents, drug-tainted money, must be
    suppressed. He asserts that there is no way to deter-
    mine whether the officers would have discovered the
    funds, or the connection between the funds and any
    illegal activity, in the absence of the unlawful conduct.
    The Government, however, maintains that the district
    court erred in suppressing the evidence of the results of
    the dog-sniff test. Although it admits that the officer’s
    visual inspection of the contents of the briefcase was
    improper, it contends that the challenged evidence
    22                                                    No. 07-3101
    should have been admitted under the inevitable discovery
    doctrine.13
    The doctrine of inevitable discovery provides that
    illegally obtained evidence will not be excluded if the
    Government can prove, by a preponderance of the evi-
    dence, that the officers “ultimately or inevitably would
    have . . . discovered [the challenged evidence] by lawful
    means.” Nix v. Williams, 
    467 U.S. 431
    , 444 (1984). To satisfy
    this burden, the Government must demonstrate that two
    13
    Contrary to Mr. Marrocco’s assertions, we conclude that the
    Government adequately preserved this issue for appeal. It is true
    that the Government failed to use the exact term “inevitable
    discovery” in its arguments before the district court. The
    Government’s failure to invoke that particular term, however,
    does not render the Government’s inevitable discovery argu-
    ment “so wanting that we should find forfeiture.” United States
    v. Roque-Espinoza, 
    338 F.3d 724
    , 727 (7th Cir. 2003) (concluding
    that the defendant did not forfeit his argument even though his
    motion and supporting memorandum “did not in so many
    words allege a due process violation”). In its response to the
    motion to suppress, the Government argued that Mr. Fallon
    consented to the search of the briefcase. R.45 at 12-13. It then
    argued, in the alternative, that (1) the “finding of currency in the
    bag was not a ground for detention for the dog sniff test,” 
    id. at 13,
    and (2) the results of the dog-sniff test and other facts
    gave the officers independent probable cause to believe that the
    briefcase was associated with drugs, 
    id. at 13-15.
    Although this
    argument is somewhat underdeveloped, it sufficiently estab-
    lishes the Government’s contention that, even if Mr. Fallon
    did not consent to the search, the results of the dog-sniff test
    were nonetheless admissible.
    No. 07-3101                                                        23
    criteria are met: First, it must show that it had, or would
    have obtained, an independent, legal justification for
    conducting a search that would have led to the discovery
    of the evidence;14 second, the Government must demon-
    strate that it would have conducted a lawful search
    absent the challenged conduct.1 5 See United States v.
    Brown, 
    64 F.3d 1083
    , 1085 (7th Cir. 1995) (“[W]hat makes
    a discovery ‘inevitable’ is not probable cause alone . . . but
    probable cause plus a chain of events that would have
    led to a warrant . . . independent of the search.”). The
    Government submits that it has satisfied both of these
    criteria: It asserts that, even absent the challenged conduct,
    there is no doubt that the officers would have subjected the
    briefcase to a dog-sniff test. It further claims that, after
    learning the results of that test, the officers certainly would
    have applied for and obtained a warrant to search the
    briefcase.
    We agree with the Government that the officers inevita-
    bly would have discovered both the funds and the evi-
    dence that the funds were associated with narcotics. The
    first prong of the inevitable discovery test has been met
    14
    We have held that an independent justification exists when,
    for example, officers had probable cause justifying a search
    incident to an arrest. See United States v. Jones, 
    72 F.3d 1324
    , 1333-
    34 (7th Cir. 1995).
    15
    See 
    id. at 1330
    n.8 (“[W]hether authorities would in fact have
    conducted a lawful search is a question distinct from whether
    they would have had probable cause to do so; that is, probable
    cause to search does not alone render discovery of the
    evidence in question inevitable.” (citations omitted)).
    24                                                      No. 07-3101
    because the officers could have obtained, based on the
    results of the dog-sniff test, an independent legal basis
    for searching the briefcase; namely, the results of the dog-
    sniff test 16 would have supported the issuance of a war-
    rant. See United States v. Washburn, 
    383 F.3d 638
    , 643 (7th
    Cir. 2004) (“[W]e have held that a positive alert by a
    trained drug dog gives rise to probable cause to search a
    vehicle.” (citations omitted)). 1 7 Mr. Marrocco claims that
    we cannot rely on the results of the dog-sniff test
    because it is not clear that the officers would have
    ordered that test in the absence of the illegal search. We
    disagree. At the time the search took place, the officers
    already knew that the briefcase contained a large sum
    of money; Mr. Fallon had told them this much when he
    stated that the briefcase contained $50,000. The unlawful
    search of the briefcase yielded nothing more than a con-
    firmation of Mr. Fallon’s earlier admission.1 8
    16
    Because the dog-sniff test in fact was performed, we can be
    certain that the canine unit would have alerted to the con-
    tents of the briefcase.
    17
    See also, e.g., United States v. Ganser, 
    315 F.3d 839
    , 844 (7th Cir.
    2003) (“Once the canine alerted to the letter, reasonable suspi-
    cion was elevated to probable cause.” (citations omitted));
    United States v. Thomas, 
    87 F.3d 909
    , 912 (7th Cir. 1996) (“Of
    course, once the dog reacted positively for narcotics, the
    officers had probable cause to obtain a search warrant for the
    suitcase . . . .”).
    18
    Indeed, it is difficult for us to see how the illegal search was in
    any way exploited to discover the necessary evidence linking
    (continued...)
    No. 07-3101                                                      25
    This is not a case where the investigating officers
    learned new information during an illegal search and,
    based on that information, took investigatory steps that
    they would not have taken otherwise.1 9 Instead, after
    performing the illegal search, the officers did no more
    than they ordinarily would have done when confronted
    with a suspected drug courier. There is relevant and
    probative evidence that suggests the officers would have
    performed the dog-sniff test as a matter of course:
    First, and most importantly, the officers already had
    reliable information about the contents of the briefcase;
    Mr. Fallon had informed them that the case contained a
    large sum of money. Thus, the purpose of the officers’
    investigation was not to discover the contents of the
    briefcase, but, instead, to determine whether there was
    a link between those contents and illegal narcotics.
    Because this link could not be established by merely
    observing the funds, it is certain that the officers would
    have conducted some test aimed at establishing that
    connection.
    Furthermore, the officers already had removed the
    briefcase from the train and taken it back to the office
    18
    (...continued)
    Mr. Fallon and the bag to illegal drugs. See Wong Sun v. United
    States, 
    371 U.S. 471
    , 487-88 (1963). See also infra p.32-33.
    19
    Cf. United States v. Thomas, 
    955 F.2d 207
    , 210-11 (4th Cir. 1992)
    (concluding that discovery was not inevitable where police
    first unlawfully searched the defendant’s hotel room and then
    set up surveillance to monitor the hotel room).
    26                                                       No. 07-3101
    for the purpose of subjecting the briefcase to a dog-sniff
    test.20 Additionally, although the officers had not sum-
    moned the canine unit at the time of the unlawful search,
    they did do so shortly thereafter. Finally, after Officer
    Romano impermissibly opened the briefcase, he quickly
    shut it, an act likely intended to prevent any odor on the
    funds from dissipating. Officer Romano did not rummage
    through the contents of the briefcase in search of obvious
    contraband, nor did he attempt to exploit the results of
    the unlawful search. We can conclude, based on all of
    this evidence, that the officers detained the briefcase in
    order to conduct an investigation that would establish
    a link between the funds and illegal activity, rather than
    to determine the contents of the briefcase, which, as we
    have mentioned, were already known. We therefore
    have no difficulty in concluding that the dog-sniff test
    would have been performed absent the illegal search, and
    that the results of that test would have supported a
    warrant application.
    20
    Officer Terry testified as follows:
    Q. Now, the purpose of getting off the train and going to
    the office is to investigate the money, is that correct?
    A. Correct.
    Q. And the purpose of investigating the money is accom-
    plished by bringing it to the office for a dog sniff, is that
    right?
    A. Through conversation, that’s determined later, yes, sir.
    R.49-2 at 83.
    No. 07-3101                                                     27
    The fact that the results of the dog-sniff test would
    have supported a warrant is not sufficient, however; the
    Government must also show, under the second prong
    of our inevitable discovery inquiry, that the officers
    inevitably would have sought the warrant and conducted
    a lawful search. In this circuit, when the Government
    seeks “to use the doctrine of inevitable discovery to
    excuse its failure to have obtained a search warrant,” it
    must “prove that a warrant would certainly, and not
    merely probably, have been issued had it been applied
    for.” United States v. Tejada, 
    524 F.3d 809
    , 813 (7th Cir.
    2008).
    We are convinced that the Government has satisfied
    this burden.21 Our case law establishes that the
    inevitable discovery rule applies in cases, such as this
    one, where investigating officers undoubtedly would
    have followed routine, established steps resulting in the
    issuance of a warrant. See, e.g., 
    id. (concluding that
    the
    evidence of the container’s contents was admissible, even
    21
    Mr. Marrocco protests that we cannot know that the officers
    inevitably would have obtained a warrant because the officers
    were not in the process of obtaining, and ultimately did not
    obtain, a warrant; it is clear from our case law, however, that the
    Government is not required to show that investigators in fact
    obtained or sought a warrant in order to prove that they
    inevitably would have done so. In fact, we have explicitly
    rejected a rule that “would allow the doctrine to be invoked only
    if the police were in the process of obtaining a warrant,”
    concluding that such a rule would be “untenable.” United
    States v. Tejada, 
    524 F.3d 809
    , 813 (7th Cir. 2008).
    28                                                  No. 07-3101
    though the officers did not obtain a warrant to search
    the container, because there “[was not] even the shadow
    of a doubt that had they applied for a warrant to search
    the bag, . . . the warrant would have been issued”);
    United States v. Buchanan, 
    910 F.2d 1571
    , 1573 (7th Cir.
    1990) (determining that the police inevitably would have
    sought a warrant to search the defendant’s hotel room,
    pursuant to “proper and predictable police investigatory
    procedure[],” where the defendant was arrested on an
    outstanding murder warrant and the murder weapon
    had not yet been found (alteration in original) (citation
    omitted)).22 As we already have discussed, the officers
    certainly would have subjected the briefcase to a dog-sniff
    test even absent the illegal search. After the test was
    performed, the officers would have known (1) that Mr.
    Fallon fit a drug-courier profile; (2) that Mr. Fallon had
    admitted that the briefcase contained a large sum of
    22
    We also have applied this reasoning when the challenged
    evidence would have been discovered through a means other
    than a search warrant. For example, in United States v.
    Johnson, 
    383 F.3d 538
    (7th Cir. 2004), we noted that the evidence
    discovered during an illegal search of the trunk of the defen-
    dant’s car inevitably would have been discovered during the
    routine, permissible inventory search that would have
    followed the defendant’s arrest. 
    Id. at 545
    n.8 (“Therefore,
    assuming arguendo that Cook did not initially have probable
    cause to search the trunk, after legally arresting Johnson on the
    outstanding warrant, the firearm would have nevertheless
    been discovered later when the police took possession of the
    vehicle he was driving and performed an inventory search,
    thus rendering the firearm admissible at trial.”).
    No. 07-3101                                                     29
    money; and (3) that the dog-sniff test indicated that the
    briefcase carried the odor of drugs. It would be unrea-
    sonable to conclude that, after discovering all of this
    information, the officers would have failed to seek a
    warrant. See 
    Buchanan, 910 F.2d at 1573
    (concluding that
    police inevitably would have sought a warrant to search
    the room, as “it would have been foolish not to want to
    look for the gun there”); see also United States v. Allen, 
    159 F.3d 832
    , 841 (4th Cir. 1998) (“The inevitable discovery
    doctrine may apply where additional routine or factually
    established investigative steps would inevitably lead to
    discovery of the evidence without undertaking any
    search.” (citations omitted)). In addition, as we already
    have recognized, there is no serious question that the
    warrant would have been issued once sought.2 3 Therefore,
    we may conclude that the officers inevitably would have
    had a lawful basis for discovering both the funds and the
    link between the funds and illegal narcotics activity.2 4
    23
    There is no contention in this case that, for example, the
    dog that performed the sniff test was unreliable.
    24
    We have recognized that the standard employed in this
    circuit is an “intermediate” one, 
    Tejada, 524 F.3d at 813
    , which
    differs somewhat from the tests employed by our sister circuits.
    The Second and Tenth Circuits, for example, will only apply the
    inevitable discovery doctrine where there exists evidence from
    which “a court can find, with a high level of confidence, that
    each of the contingencies necessary to the legal discovery of the
    contested evidence would be resolved in the government’s
    favor.” United States v. Heath, 
    455 F.3d 52
    , 60 (2d Cir. 2006); see
    (continued...)
    30                                                  No. 07-3101
    24
    (...continued)
    also United States v. Souza, 
    223 F.3d 1197
    , 1205 (10th Cir. 2000)
    (applying the “high level of confidence” standard). Other
    courts of appeals, by contrast, apply a somewhat lower stan-
    dard, requiring only a “reasonable probability” that the chal-
    lenged evidence would have been discovered lawfully. See
    
    Heath, 455 F.3d at 60
    (citations omitted) (collecting cases).
    The effect of this difference in verbal formulation is evident
    in the circuits’ differing analysis of cases where the Govern-
    ment seeks to use the inevitable discovery doctrine to excuse
    a failure to seek a warrant: In Tejada, we observed that cases
    from some courts of appeals suggest that the inevitable dis-
    covery doctrine “should be confined to the situation in which
    the police are gathering evidence with a view toward obtaining
    a search warrant and it is certain or nearly so that . . . the
    investigation would have culminated in a successful warrant
    application.” 
    Tejada, 524 F.3d at 812-13
    (citing United States v.
    Virden, 
    488 F.3d 1317
    , 1323 (11th Cir. 2007); United States v.
    Conner, 
    127 F.3d 663
    , 667-68 (8th Cir. 1997); United States v.
    Mejia, 
    69 F.3d 309
    , 320 (9th Cir. 1995)). Other appellate courts,
    however, apply a more flexible approach. See, e.g., United States
    v. Ford, 
    22 F.3d 374
    , 377 (1st Cir. 1994) (noting that court’s
    rejection of an ongoing-investigation requirement and its
    adoption of a “flexible standard” under which “[t]he specific
    facts of each case will determine the requirements necessary to
    prove independence and inevitability”); 
    Thomas, 955 F.2d at 210
    -
    11 (rejecting a “blanket requirement” that officers be pursuing
    an alternate investigation, and instead requiring, at minimum,
    that discovery “arise from circumstances other than those
    disclosed by the illegal search itself” (citation and quotation
    marks omitted)); United States v. Garcia, 
    496 F.3d 495
    , 506
    (continued...)
    No. 07-3101                                                       31
    24
    (...continued)
    (6th Cir. 2007) (noting that the inevitable discovery doctrine “ap-
    plies where the facts indicate that the officers inevitably
    would have discovered and seized the tainted evidence by
    following ‘routine procedures’ ” (quoting United States v. Vite-
    Espinoza, 
    342 F.3d 462
    , 466 (6th Cir. 2003))).
    We believe that, given the facts of this case, our holding
    would be the same even if we applied one of these other
    approaches. Under the flexible approach, we may conclude,
    based on the results of the dog-sniff test and the officers’ actions,
    that the officers would have had probable cause to search
    the briefcase, and that a warrant would have issued as a
    result. See 
    Ford, 22 F.3d at 378
    (concluding that, where the
    officers had independent probable cause to search the defen-
    dant’s home, “[it was] inevitable that the existence of probable
    cause would find fruition in the issuance of a search warrant,”
    and noting that this conclusion was bolstered by evidence
    that the decision to seek a warrant already had been made);
    see also 
    Garcia, 496 F.3d at 506
    (concluding that the officers
    inevitably would have discovered the defendant’s pager
    because, after searching his vehicle, they would have had
    probable cause to arrest the defendant, and they would have
    discovered the pager during the “routine procedure of
    searching [him] prior to taking him into custody” (citation and
    quotation marks omitted)); United States v. White, 
    326 F.3d 1135
    ,
    1138-39 (10th Cir. 2003) (determining, based on evidence that
    the officer ran several detained individuals’ names through a
    database, that there was “a solid implication that the officers
    routinely ran [such] checks on persons briefly detained,” and
    concluding that the officers would have run such a check on
    the defendant and discovered his prior conviction); cf. United
    (continued...)
    32                                                   No. 07-3101
    Indeed, even if the inevitable discovery doctrine was
    waived or inapplicable, we would have to conclude that
    the results of the dog-sniff test were admissible. The
    24
    (...continued)
    States v. Allen, 
    159 F.3d 832
    , 839-40 (4th Cir. 1998) (stating that
    the court had “little trouble” with the district court’s finding
    that, had a dog-sniff test been performed, the dog would have
    alerted to the bag and the police would have had probable
    cause for a search warrant, but concluding nevertheless that
    the inevitable discovery rule did not apply because there was
    no evidence that the officer would have used a dog to investi-
    gate the bag).
    Even if we were to require a high level of confidence that the
    warrant inevitably would have been issued, the Government
    has carried that burden here. At the time of the unlawful search,
    the officers were conducting an investigation that logically
    would have culminated in the discovery of the odor of the
    drugs on the money; that discovery would have been made
    even absent the illegal conduct, and the probability is there-
    fore “very high that the evidence would have been discovered
    pursuant to a search warrant.” 
    Souza, 223 F.3d at 1205-06
    (concluding that the inevitable discovery doctrine applied
    because the officers took steps to prepare a warrant prior to
    the search, the officers had probable cause to believe the
    package contained contraband, a narcotics dog alerted to the
    container, and a warrant ultimately was issued). In this case, the
    inevitability of the warrant’s issuance is clear from the facts.
    See 
    Heath, 455 F.3d at 62
    , 62 n.11 (remanding for further
    findings to assess whether an arrest would have been made
    absent the unlawful conduct, but noting that “[t]here obviously
    will be some [cases] in which the inevitability of the arrest is
    sufficiently obvious as not to require discussion”).
    No. 07-3101                                                  33
    illegality of Officer Romano’s opening of the briefcase
    with a knife had no effect on the subsequent discovery
    that the money was tainted by drugs. The officers
    already knew of the presence of the money. Opening the
    briefcase gave them no knowledge about whether the
    money was tainted. That knowledge was completely
    dependent on the dog-sniff test. Therefore, the causal
    connection between the illegality of Officer Romano’s
    search was so far attenuated from the crucial evidence
    as to make invocation of the suppression doctrine inap-
    propriate. See United States v. Carter, No. 09-1608, slip op. at
    7-8 (7th Cir. July 20, 2009); United States v. Ienco, 
    182 F.3d 517
    , 526 (7th Cir. 1999); see also Brown v. Illinois, 
    422 U.S. 590
    , 609 (1975) (Powell, J., concurring); United States v.
    Fazio, 
    914 F.2d 950
    , 957 (7th Cir. 1990).
    Accordingly, we hold that the district court improperly
    suppressed the evidence of the contents of the briefcase
    and the results of the dog-sniff test.
    Conclusion
    For the reasons set forth in this opinion, we reverse the
    decision of the district court and remand this case for
    further proceedings consistent with this opinion. On
    remand the district court may hear additional evidence
    as to whether the funds are subject to forfeiture and, if
    necessary, as to the ultimate ownership of the funds.
    R EVERSED and R EMANDED
    34                                              No. 07-3101
    E ASTERBROOK, Chief Judge, concurring. I join the court’s
    opinion without reservation but add a few words about
    an issue that, as the court notes (slip op. 10 n.5), the
    litigants have overlooked.
    All parties assume that the exclusionary rule applies
    to forfeiture, so that the res must be returned if it
    was improperly seized. Yet the Supreme Court has
    twice held that the exclusionary rule is not used in civil
    proceedings. See INS v. Lopez-Mendoza, 
    468 U.S. 1032
    (1984) (deportation); United States v. Janis, 
    428 U.S. 433
    (1976) (taxation). See also Pennsylvania Board of Probation
    & Parole v. Scott, 
    524 U.S. 357
    (1998) (rule inapplicable
    to probation revocation). Although One 1958 Plymouth
    Sedan v. Pennsylvania, 
    380 U.S. 693
    (1965), suppressed
    evidence in a forfeiture, Janis stated that this was be-
    cause that forfeiture was intended as a criminal punish-
    
    ment. 428 U.S. at 447
    n.17. The forfeiture in our case is
    civil. It is farther from a criminal prosecution than is a
    probation-revocation proceeding.
    Suppressing the res in a civil proceeding, even though
    the property is subject to forfeiture, would be like dis-
    missing the indictment in a criminal proceeding whenever
    the defendant was arrested without probable cause.
    The Supreme Court has been unwilling to use the ex-
    clusionary rule to “suppress” the body of an improperly
    arrested defendant. See United States v. Alvarez-Machain,
    
    504 U.S. 655
    (1992). Why then would it be sensible to
    suppress the res?
    The appropriate remedy is civil damages measured by
    the value of the privacy interest wrongly invaded. Exclu-
    No. 07-3101                                            35
    sion sometimes may be appropriate in criminal prosecu-
    tions, but damages are the best remedy in the run of
    situations. See Hudson v. Michigan, 
    547 U.S. 586
    (2006);
    Herring v. United States, 
    129 S. Ct. 695
    (2009). This case
    illustrates why: the value of the res is about $121,000,
    exceeding any plausible estimate of the injury inflicted
    by opening the case before the dog arrived. Awarding
    claimants $121,000 would both overcompensate them
    and overdeter law-enforcement agents—just as awarding
    excessive damages in tort suits warps the incentives of
    both potential victims and potential injurers, leading
    potential victims to take excessive risks and potential
    injurers to take excessive (i.e., unjustifiably expensive)
    precautions.
    Because the United States has not questioned the use
    of the exclusionary rule, and the issue does not affect
    subject-matter jurisdiction, we need not decide what
    scope Janis, Lopez-Mendoza, Hudson, and Herring leave
    for One 1958 Plymouth Sedan.
    8-24-09