Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/21pdf/21-147_g31h.pdf
Page Number: 6

2 

EGBERT v. BOULE 

Opinion of the Court 

I 

Blaine, Washington, is the last town in the United States 
along U. S. Interstate Highway 5 before reaching the Cana-
dian border.  Respondent Robert Boule is a longtime Blaine 
resident.  The rear of his property abuts the Canadian bor-
der at “0 Avenue,” a Canadian street.  Boule’s property line
actually extends five feet into Canada.  Several years ago,
Boule placed a line of small stones on his property to mark 
the  international  boundary.    As  shown  below,  any  person
could easily enter the United States or Canada through or
near Boule’s property.  See App. 100. 

Boule  markets  his  home  as  a  bed-and-breakfast  aptly 
named “Smuggler’s Inn.”  The area surrounding the Inn “is
a hotspot for cross-border smuggling of people, drugs, illicit 
money, and items of significance to criminal organizations.” 
Id.,  at  91.  “On  numerous  occasions,”  U. S.  Border  Patrol 
agents “have observed persons come south across the bor-
der and walk into Smuggler’s Inn through the back door.” 
Id., at 101.  Federal agents also have seized from the Inn
shipments  of  cocaine,  methamphetamine,  ecstasy,  and
other narcotics.  For a time, Boule served as a confidential