Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca10-88-02430/USCOURTS-ca10-88-02430-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Ralph Beltran Ramirez
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS 

TENTH CIRCUIT 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 

Plaintiff-Appellee, 

v. 

FI LED 

U~ited States Court of Appeals 

Tenth Circuit 

AUG 2 ~ 1990 

ROBERT L. HOECKER 

Clerk 

No. 88-2430 

RALPH BELTRAN RAMIREZ, 

Defendant-Appellant. 

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(D.C. No. 88-CR-0018S) 

(D. Utah) 

ORDER AND JUDGMENT * 

Before TACHA, McWILLIAMS, and BARRETT, Circuit Judges. 

This is an appeal from the order of the district court 

denying Ralph Beltran Ramirez's motion to suppress evidence on the 

grounds that there was no probable cause for his arrest or the 

subsequent search of his vehicle and person. We affirm. 

I. 

On January 24, 1988, Sergeant Brent Shelby of the Utah 

Highway Police was patrolling Interstate 70 near Sigurd, Utah, 

when he noticed three men attempting to push a van to the side of 

the road. Suspecting a routine engine problem, Shelby parked his 

car behind the van and approached the men to offer assistance. As 

he reached the open passenger door, he noticed the odor of 

* 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: 88-2430 Document: 010110041449 Date Filed: 08/23/1990 Page: 1 
marijuana emanating from the van. At this point, Shelby warned 

the three that none of them was free to leave. 

The three men continued to push the van while Shelby waited 

for Terry Smith, another patrolman, to arrive at the scene. 

Meanwhile, another car had pulled up, with two passengers, 

including the defendant, Ramirez. The two claimed to be friends 

of the three men in the van. Shelby advised the two to stay in 

their car, pending further instructions. 

Smith arrived at the scene. Shelby then asked the three van 

passengers whether they were carrying any alcohol, firearms, or 

narcotics. They denied carrying any such goods. Shelby and Smith 

then obtained their consent to search the van and found a sizable 

bag of marijuana in a compartment. Upon discovering the 

marijuana, the officers placed all five motorists, including 

Ramirez, under arrest. 

After the arrests, Shelby proceeded to the car and noticed a 

large, partially open suitcase. A clear plastic wrap, similar to 

the wrap on the marijuana found in the van, was visible. Upon 

entering the car and opening the suitcase, Shelby found another 

package of marijuana. 

In district court, the Ramirez conditionally pleaded guilty 

to possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and use of a 

firearm in connection therewith. He appeals to this court on the 

ground that the evidence should have been suppressed due to the 

illegality of the search under the fourth amendment. The 

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Appellate Case: 88-2430 Document: 010110041449 Date Filed: 08/23/1990 Page: 2 
- government contests Ramirez's standing to raise the fourth 

amendment objection. 

II. 

We do not reach the question of Ramirez's standing to raise a 

fourth amendment objection to the search of the car because we 

find that the officer was justified in searching the car under the 

circumstances of this case. 

We review the legal justification for a search de novo, 

although we accept the district court's finding of facts unless 

clearly erroneous. See United States Y..!... McKinnel, 888 F.2d 669, 

672 (10th Cir. 1989). "[A] police officer who is lawfully present 

in a particular place may seize property within his plain view if 

'there is probable cause to associate the property with criminal 

activity.'" United States Y..!... Silkwood, 893 F.2d 245, 247 (10th 

Cir. 1989) (quoting Texas Y..!... Brown, 460 U.S. 730, 738-39 (1983)), 

cert. denied, --- U.S. ---, 110 S. Ct. 2593 (1990). 

We hold that Sergeant Shelby was justified in seizing the 

marijuana-filled suitcase from the car driven by Ramirez. Shelby 

had a reasonable, articulable suspicion of criminal activity on 

the part of all five men and was justified in detaining Ramirez. 

Before Ramirez had arrived, Shelby had smelled a "large quantity" 

of marijuana in the van. Ramirez then drove up, spoke with the 

men in the van, and told the officer that he was "with the people 

in the van" and that they were traveling "together." Ramirez 

ultimately suggested that one of the people in the van rest in his 

car. We find that Shelby had a reasonable, articulable suspicion 

that Ramirez was also engaged in the criminal activity suspected 

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Appellate Case: 88-2430 Document: 010110041449 Date Filed: 08/23/1990 Page: 3 
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to be occurring in the van which justified detaining Ramirez 

pending further investigation of the marijuana odor in the van. 

The critical question is whether Shelby had probable cause to 

search the car. We find that he did. It is undisputable that 

Shelby was lawfully present. In "plain view" from outside of the 

car Shelby could see a suitcase. That suitcase was partially 

open, revealing a clear plastic wrap substantially identical to 

that found wrapped around the marijuana in the van. We hold that 

the combination of the van and car appearing to be traveling 

together, the occupants of the vehicles being friends of each 

other, the presence of marijuana in the van, the presence in the 

car of a suitcase which contained wrapping substantially identical 

to the wrapping of the marijuana in the van, gave Shelby probable 

cause to believe that the wrapping was associated with drug 

trafficking. The requirements of the "plain view" exception to 

the warrant requirement are met. The search was justified. 

The district court did not err in denying the motion to 

suppress. AFFIRMED. 

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ENTERED FOR THE COURT 

Deanell Reece Tacha 

Circuit Judge 

Appellate Case: 88-2430 Document: 010110041449 Date Filed: 08/23/1990 Page: 4