Opinion ID: 666019
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Empty Ammunition Box

Text: 49 On July 24, 1989, five months following Parker's murder, Chicago police officers obtained a search warrant for Davis's apartment based on information that cocaine had been purchased from Davis at the apartment. During the search, the officers seized various drugs, drug paraphernalia, and weapons. The officers also seized an empty .380 caliber ammunition box. Prior to trial, Davis sought the suppression of the ammunition box on the grounds that the officers lacked probable cause to believe the box was evidence of any crime. The ammunition box was not of the same caliber as the weapons seized during the search. The box was found empty in the same room with several weapons and with pictures of Davis holding various weapons. It was specifically located in a bedroom dresser drawer containing various papers and clothing. The government argued that the seizure of the box fell under the plain view doctrine because the box would be readily recognized as an incriminating tool of the drug trade in that it could be inferred that it was once full of ammunition. The district court denied the motion to suppress, reasoning that the box was relevant to show that Davis was dealing drugs. 50 Davis argues that the incriminating character of an empty ammunition box is not immediately evident and is no more incriminating than a cigar box used to store children's pencils. The government must establish probable cause for a seizure to invoke the plain view exception to the warrant requirement. Arizona v. Hicks, 480 U.S. 321, 326, 107 S.Ct. 1149, 1153, 94 L.Ed.2d 347 (1987). 51 This Court has previously held that weapons are tools of the trade of drug dealers, and the simultaneous possession of weapons and drugs supports an inference that the suspect is dealing drugs. United States v. Rush, 890 F.2d 45, 49 (7th Cir.1989). Moreover, as the government correctly points out, the ammunition box was not discovered in a vacuum. Coupled with the seized drugs, weapons, and photographs, the ammunition box is probative of the use of weapons in connection with drug trafficking in violation of federal law. The ammunition box, unlike a cigar box, is probative of weapons possession and drug dealing. The empty ammunition box raises an inference that the contents had been used in a firearm. The district judge correctly stated that you can't have one without the other. Evidence that Davis at one time possessed .380 caliber ammunition is incriminating in the same way that his possession of the weapons was incriminating. 52 In addition, Davis at the time of the search was a convicted felon, and thus, state and federal law prohibited him from possessing a firearm. The detective who executed the search warrant was the same detective who had arrested Davis in 1985. Therefore, the detective had probable cause to believe that Davis had violated federal and state law by possessing a firearm, and the ammunition box was probative of this violation. 53 Therefore, this Court affirms the district court's denial of Davis's motion to suppress the ammunition box.