Opinion ID: 727620
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Was There Probable Cause to Search the Packages?

Text: 18 Defendants next argue that the cocaine from the packages should have been suppressed because the search warrants were not supported by probable cause. We address this issue by asking whether the Magistrate had a substantial basis for finding that the affidavit established probable case to believe that the evidence would be found at the place cited. Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213, 236 (1983); accord United States v. Lawson, 999 F.2d 985, 987 (6th Cir.), cert. denied, 114 S.Ct. 574 (1993). Probable cause exists when  'there is a fair probability, given the totality of the circumstances, that contraband or evidence of a crime will be found in a particular place.'  Lawson, 985 F.2d at 987 (quoting United States v. Loggins, 777 F.2d 336, 338 (6th Cir.1985)); accord Gates, 462 U.S. at 238. Such a determination by the issuing judge is to be accorded 'great deference' by the reviewing court. Lawson, 985 F.2d at 987 (quoting United States v. Algie, 721 F.2d 1039, 1041 (6th Cir.1983)). 19 In issuing the search warrants in question, the magistrate relied solely upon Arnold's affidavit. Defendants maintain that the facts set forth therein do not give rise to the level of certainty required to establish probable cause. The government contends, on the other hand, that Arnold's drug interdiction experience plus the averred facts were sufficient to support the warrants. 20 It appears that the Postal Service usually subjects mailings found to be suspicious under the drug package profile to a canine sniff before seeking a search warrant. See, e.g., Daniel, 982 F.2d at 150; Lux, 905 F.2d at 1382. For some reason, however, a sniff was not conducted in this case. Although this omission makes the question of probable cause much closer, we do not believe that it is fatal. Arnold's affidavit sets forth a plethora of facts, detailed previously in connection with our Terry analysis, establishing in convincing fashion that someone from a drug source city was engaged in a regular schedule of mailings to Louisville and that this person felt the need, for some reason, to conceal both his identity and the identities of the addressees. Additionally, Arnold's affidavit informed the magistrate that the Postal Service has, over a number of years, identified many common traits among packages found to contain narcotics and that the packages in question exhibited a substantial number of those traits. See Lawson, 999 F.2d at 987 (A judicial officer may give considerable weight to  'the conclusion of experienced law enforcement officers regarding where evidence of a crime is likely to be found.'  (quoting United States v. Fannin, 817 F.2d 1379, 1382 (9th Cir.1987)). Based on the foregoing, we conclude that the magistrate had a substantial basis to believe that drugs would probably be found in the packages. 21