Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca10-91-02144/USCOURTS-ca10-91-02144-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Hector Chavez-Moncado
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

F IL.ED 

United ~ ...ates Court of Appeals 

Tenth Circuit 

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS 

TENTH CIRCUIT 

FEB 51992 

ROBERT L. HOECKER 

Clerk 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 

Plaintiff-Appellee, 

v. 

HECTOR CHAVEZ-MONCADO, 

Defendant-Appellant. 

) 

) 

) 

) 

) 

) 

) 

) 

) 

No. 91-2144 

(D.C. No. CR-90-440-HB) 

(D. New Mexico) 

ORDER AND JUDGMENT* 

Before SEYMOUR, ANDERSON, and BALDOCK, Circuit Judges. 

After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel 

has determined unanimously that oral argument would not materially 

assist the determination of this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 

34(a); 10th Cir. R. 34.1.9. The cause is therefore ordered 

submitted without oral argument. 

Appellant Chavez-Moncado was indicted and charged with one 

count of possession with the intent to distribute less than fifty 

kilograms of marijuana in violation of 21 u.s.c. SS 841(a)(l) and 

(b)(l)(D). Thereafter, he filed a motion to suppress which the 

district court denied. Mr. Chavez-Moncado then pled guilty to the 

indictment while reserving his right to appeal the district 

* This order and judgment has no precedential value and shall 

not be cited, or used by any court within the Tenth Circuit, 

except for purposes of establishing the doctrines of the law of 

the case, res judicata, or collateral estoppel. 10th Cir. R. 36.3. 

Appellate Case: 91-2144 Document: 010110221708 Date Filed: 02/05/1992 Page: 1 
court's denial of his motion to suppress. Upon review of his 

contentions on appeal, we AFFIRM. 

On October 11, 1990, Mr. Chavez-Moncado drove an 

International pickup truck into the permanent border patrol 

checkpoint located on Interstate 25, north of Las Cruces, New 

Mexico. At the primary checkpoint, the border patrol agent 

(hereinafter "agent") questioned Mr. Chavez-Moncado as to his 

citizenship. Mr. Chavez-Moncado stated that he was a United 

States citizen. During the course of this questioning, ~he agent 

looked over the vehicle and noticed that the bed of the truck 

appeared to have been modified in that it had been lowered . The 

agent also noticed that Mr. Chavez-Moncado appeared nervous in 

that his voice was quivering and he avoided eye contact. The 

vehicle was then referred to the secondary inspection area. 

At the secondary inspection area, the agent asked for and 

received Mr. Chavez-Moncado's consent to inspect the truck. 

During this inspection, the agent discovered that the truck bed 

had been modified to contain a hidden compartment . When the 

compartment was opened, the agent discovered three suitcases which 

contained marijuana. 

Mr. Chavez-Moncado contends that his referral to the 

secondary checkpoint and interrogation went beyond the scope of a 

routine checkpoint inquiry in violation of his Fourth Amendment 

rights and that any evidence seized thereafter was inadmissible. 

We disagree. 

Mr . Chavez-Moncado does not challenge the authority of border 

patrol agents to question the occupants of a vehicle at an 

-2-

Appellate Case: 91-2144 Document: 010110221708 Date Filed: 02/05/1992 Page: 2 
established permanent checkpoint. However, he argues that once 

the agent had satisfied himself that Mr. Chavez-Moncado was a 

United States citizen, he should have been permitted to proceed on 

his way without further questioning. We disagree. The Supreme 

Court has held "that stops for brief questioning routinely 

conducted at permanent checkpoints are consistent with the Fourth 

Amendment and need not be authorized by warrant." United States 

v. Martinez-Fuerte, 428 U.S. 543, 566 (1976). This court has held 

that 

[E]ven when the questions asked at the primary 

checkpoint allay all concerns about citizenship and 

immigration status, an agent still may direct a vehicle 

to a secondary checkpoint and further question the 

occupants on the basis of reasonable suspicion that a 

crime has been committed. 

United States v. Rubio-Rivera, 917 F.2d 1271, 1276 (10th Cir. 

1990) (citing United States v. Johnson, 895 F.2d 693, 698 (10th 

Cir. 1990)). The agent in this case testified that the type of 

modification he observed in Mr. Chavez-Moncado's truck usually 

denotes a modified compartment that can be used to smuggle 

contraband. (Transcript of Proceedings at 11). Based upon his 

observation that the truck bed had been modified, the agent's 

referral of Mr. Chavez-Moncado's truck to the secondary inspection 

area was reasonable . 

In United States v. Benitez, 899 F.2d 995, 998 (10th Cir. 

1990), this court found that the nervousness of a detainee at a 

permanent checkpoint gave rise to a reasonable suspicion which 

justified the agent's further questioning and request for consent 

to search. Further, this court has held that " [b]order patrol 

agents have wide discretion in selecting which motorists to div ert 

-3-

Appellate Case: 91-2144 Document: 010110221708 Date Filed: 02/05/1992 Page: 3 
to a secondary inspection area for brief questioni ng." United 

States v. Sanders, 937 F.2d 1495, 1500 (10th Cir. 1991) (citing 

United States v . Martinez-Fuerte, 428 U.S. 543, 562-63 (1976)). 

In light of the fact that the agent observed that the truck 

bed had been modified and that Mr . Chavez-Moncado appeared nervous 

and avoided eye contact, we hold that the referral to the 

secondary checkpoint was reasonable and did not violate the Fourth 

Amendment, and that the search of Mr. Chavez-Moncado's vehicle was 

based on his valid consent to search. The decision of the 

district court is AFFIRMED. 

-4-

Entered for the Court 

Stephen H. Anderson 

Circuit Judge 

Appellate Case: 91-2144 Document: 010110221708 Date Filed: 02/05/1992 Page: 4