T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on and i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by 9th C i r . R . 36- 3.

T he pa ne l una ni m ous l y c onc l ude s thi s c a s e i s s ui t abl e f orde c i s i on ** w ith o u t o r a l a r g u m e n t. See F ed. R . A pp . P . 34 (a )( 2). NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T UN I T E D S T AT E S OF AME R I C A, P l ai nt i ff

- A pp el l ee , v. ARTURO RAM I RE Z, D e f

e n d a n t - A p p e lla n t. N o. 09- 10121 D . C. N o . 4 : 0 7 - CR- 0 1 0 6 0 - J M RGEE ME MOR AN DU M *

A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt

f orthe D i s tr i c tof

A r i z ona J ohn M . R ol l , C hi e f

D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng S ubm i tt e d M a y 10, 2010 ** S a n F r a n c is c o , C a lif

o rn ia B efo re: H U G , R Y M E R , an d M cK E O W N , C i rcu i tJu d g es. A rturo R am i re z ( “ R am i re z” ) app ea l s hi s c on vi ct i on of vari ou s a l i en s m u g g lin g c h a r g e s o n th e g r o u n d th a t th e d is tr ic t c o u r t’s d e n ia l o f h is m o tio n to supp re ss evi dence s ei ze d b y the go vernm entaf t eran i nv ent ory s earc h o f hi s duffe l



# FI LED MA Y12 2 010 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

b a g w a s e rr o r . W e r e v ie w d e n o v o th e d is tr ic t c o u r t’s d e n ia l o f am o tio n to supp re ss evi dence. U ni t ed S t at es v. M on gh ur, 57 6 F . 3d 10 08 , 10 10 (9th C i r. 2 0 0 9 ) , am ended a ndsupers eded by 588 F . 3d 975 ( 9th C i r . 2009) . F a c tua l f i ndi ngs a r e r e vi e w e d f

orc l e a re rr or . I d. W e ha ve j ur i s di c t i on unde r28 U . S . C . § 1291, a nd w e a f f irm . R a m i r e z w a s a rr e s t e d by B or de rP a tr ol a ge nt s on s us pi c i on of i nvol ve m e nt i n al i en sm ug gl i ng . A ft erdi sc ov er i ng i l l egal al i ens i n a m ot el room thatR am i re z had app ar ent l y pai d for, B order P atrol agent s f ol l ow ed R am i re z i nt o ano ther open m ot el room bei ng cl ea ned b y am em ber of the cust od i al st af f. A l tho ug h R am i re z c l a i m e d tha tthe r oom w a s hi s , the c us t odi a n c onf i rm e d f orthe a ge nt s tha tthe r oom w as no tl i st ed as occupi ed, thatR am i re z’ s key s di d n otw ork i n thatroom , and that there w as no room i n the m ot el corr es po nd i ng t o the room nu m ber thatR am i re z c la im e d w a s h is . Inci dentt o the arre st , and w i th R am i re z’ s c on se nt , agent s s earc hed R a m i r e z ’ s duf

f e l ba g f orw e apons . T he y f

ound none . A tthe B or de rP a tr ol s t a t i on, agent s di d an i nv ent ory s ea rc h o f the bag i n the pres ence of R am i re z. T hey d i sco v ered , am o n g o th er th i n g s, M ex i can cu rren cy, M ex i can b i rth cert i fi cat es, M e x ic a n p a s s p o r ts , a n d aM e x ic a n d r iv e r ’s lic e n s e .3

R a m i r e z ur ge s us t o f

i nd e rr orw i th the di s tr i c tc our t ’ s de ni a l of hi s m ot i on to s u p p r e s s b e c au s e th e w a rr a n tle s s s e a r c h a t th e s ta tio n v io la te d h is F o u r th A m endm entri gh t s. W e di sa gree . A n “ i nv ent ory s earc h con st i tut es a w el l -def i ned e xc e pt i on t o the w a rr a ntr e qui r e m e nt . ” I l l i noi s v. L a f ay e tt e , 462 U . S . 640, 643 (198 3). “ T he po l i ci es behi nd the w arrantre qu i re m entar e noti m pl i ca t ed i n an i nve nt ory s e a r c h nori s the r e l a t e d c onc e ptof pr obabl e c aus e . ” C ol or a do v. B e r t i ne , 479 U . S . 367, 371 ( 1987) ( i nt e rna l c i t a t i on om i tt e d) . T he de c i s i ons of the S upr e m e C our t“ poi ntunm i s t a kabl y t o the c onc l us i on r e a c he d by both f e de r a l a nd st at e c ou rt s thati nv ent ori es pu rs uantt o st andard po l i ce procedures are re as on abl e. ” S ou th D akot a v. O pp erm an, 42 8 U . S . 36 4, 37 2 (19 76 ). T hese i nv ent ory p ro ced u res fu n ct i o n t o p ro t ectan o w n er' s p ro p erty w h i l e i ti s i n p o l i ce cu st o d y, i ns ur e a ga i ns tc l a i m s of l os t , s t ol e n, orva nda l i z e d pr ope r ty , a nd s a f e gua r d the p o lic e a g a in s t p o te n tia l d a n g e r s . B e r tin e , 4 7 9 U .S . a t 3 7 2 . R am i re z does notcont es tthe const i tut i on al i ty of i nv ent ory s earc hes g e n e r a lly , b u t a r g u e s th a t b e c au s e h e w a s ag u e s t in th e m o te l, th e a g e n ts i m prop er l y s ei ze d h i s bag and thu s art i fi ci al l y c re at ed the ci rc um st ance s und er w hi ch an i nv ent ory s ea rc h w as nece ss ary. H i s argum enti s uncon vi nci ng . R am i re z w as no tarre st ed i n h i s ow n m ot el room ; i nst ea d, he w as arre st ed i n an em pty m ot el room i n w hi ch he w as no tst ay i ng . T he no t i on thatthe agent s s ho ul d h ave l ef t4

R a m ir e z ’s b a g w ith th e c u s to d ia n , w h o b y a ll a c c o u n ts w a s m a in ly c o n c e rn e d w ith s hooi ng the oc c upa nt s outof the r oom s o s he c oul d do he rj ob, i s f a r f e t c he d. T he agent s r ea sonabl y a ss um ed thatR am i re z’ s bag w ou l d b e s af eri n thei r c ust od y than i tw oul d be i f

i tw a s l e f

tw he r e i tw a s , ori f

i tw a s l e f

tw i th am e m be rof

the c us t odi a l s t a f

f w hos e j ob di d noti nc l ude f unc t i oni ng a s aba i l e e . “ T he r e a s onabl e ne s s of

a ny pa r t i c ul a rgove rnm e nt a l a c t i vi ty doe s notne c e s s a r i l y or i nv ar i abl y turn o n the exi st ence of al t ernat i ve ‘ l es s i ntrusi ve’ m eans. ” L af ay ett e, 4 6 2 U .S . a t 6 4 7 ( u p h o ld in g in v e n to ry s e a r c h o f as h o u ld e rb a g ) . T he s e a r c h a tthe s t a t i on w a s c onduc t e d pur s ua ntt o s t a nda r d pr oc e dur e s a nd the r e i s no i ndi c a t i on tha tthe ba g w a s s e i z e d i n ba d f a i th. A ge nt s ha d a l r e a dy s e a r c he d the ba g f

orw e apons i nc i de ntt o the a rr e s t ; the y ha d no r e a s on t o us e the in v e n to ry s e a r c h a s ap r e te x t to lo o kin s id e . T h e c o n v ic tio n is a f

f irm e d . AF F I RME D.