Opinion ID: 563776
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Admission of Evidence Seized from Apartment 51

Text: 63 Perrone argues that the District Court erroneously denied his motion to suppress evidence seized during the search of Apartment 51. As noted above, a protective search was conducted after agents had sought a warrant for the search, but before the warrant was obtained. A warrant was issued after the search based on the chemicals seen within the apartment during the warrantless protective search, on the registration of the van to a resident of Apartment 51, and on the utility company's listing of Perrone's bodega's telephone number as the customer contact number for Apartment 51. 64 The District Court held a suppression hearing, following which evidence obtained from the search nevertheless was admitted under the independent source doctrine. See Nix v. Williams, 467 U.S. 431, 443, 104 S.Ct. 2501, 2508, 81 L.Ed.2d 377 (1984); Murray v. United States, 487 U.S. 533, 537, 108 S.Ct. 2529, 2533, 101 L.Ed.2d 472 (1988) (evidence initially discovered during, or as a consequence of, an unlawful search, but later obtained independently from activities untainted by the initial illegality is admissible). 65 While the agents were unacceptably casual in conducting the initial search before they obtained a warrant, 4 we agree with the District Court's conclusion that the warrant would have been issued, and the contested evidence obtained, independent of the improper initial search of Apartment 51. As Judge Stanton observed, agents observed defendants acquire chemicals with no known commercial or laboratory use other than cocaine refining; they observed that the van used by defendants to transport the chemicals had no commercial markings and quickly learned it was registered at Apartment 51; they observed the chemicals being unloaded into the apartment's building; and they knew that cocaine often was refined using these chemicals in residential buildings. This information alone provides an adequate basis for the issuance of a warrant for Apartment 51. Accordingly evidence obtained from that apartment was properly admitted. 66