Opinion ID: 321763
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: the body-cavity search

Text: 36 Finding a justification for the strip search, however, only begins our inquiry. Mastberg contends that before the contraband was seized, a body- cavity search had occurred and the clear indication test must be met. We agree. 37 In Rivas v. United States, 368 F.2d 703, 710 (9th Cir. 1966), cert, denied, 386 U.S. 945, 87 S.Ct. 980, 17 L.Ed.2d 875 (1967), we described a body-cavity search as 'a search involving an intrusion beyond the body's surface . . ..' In Henderson v. United States, 390 F.2d 805, 808 (9th Cir. 1967), we said that 'if in the course of the search of a woman there is to be a requirement that she manually open her vagina for visual inspection to see if she has something concealed there, we think that we should require more than a mere suspicion.' And in Morales v. United States, 406 F.2d 1298, 1299-1300 (9th Cir. 1969), we held 'that when the cavity to be searched is a vagina' a clear indication must exist. Although the matron did not search Mastberg's vagina, she told Mastberg that if she did not remove the tampon herself, a doctor would be called to do so. Although the district court made no specific finding on consent, it is abundantly clear from the record that Mastberg's removal of the object was not by consent and was a 'search.' Since this was 'a search involving an intrusion beyond the body's surface,' and, the cavity to be searched was the vagina, we hold that the clear indication standard must be applied. 38 During the course of the strip search, the matron observed that Mastberg was nervous and that she had needle marks on her arms. She also observed a double string protruding from Mastberg's vagina, indicating that an object was concealed therein. Since the string was plainly visible during the strip search, it could properly be considered by the matron in applying the clear indication test. Holtz, supra, 479 F.2d at 93 & n.3. Though Mastberg claimed to have only a tampon in her vagina, the matron had good reason to disbelieve this claim since, in her experience, only one string was normally attached to a tampon. 39 We hold that the above facts provide a clear indication of smuggling.