Opinion ID: 538794
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Applicability of the Plain View Doctrine

Text: 21 The plain view doctrine authorizes the seizure and introduction into evidence of items found in plain view during a lawful search even though they are not included within the scope of the warrant. See Arizona v. Hicks, 480 U.S. 321, 326-27, 107 S.Ct. 1149, 1153-54, 94 L.Ed.2d 347 (1987); Coolidge v. New Hampshire, 403 U.S. 443, 465-71, 91 S.Ct. 2022, 2037-41, 29 L.Ed.2d 564 (1971). Three criteria must be met for the plain view doctrine to apply. 22 First, the officers' presence at the point of discovery must be lawful. Second, discovery of the seized item must be inadvertent. Third, the item's evidentiary value must be immediately apparent to the searchers. See Texas v. Brown, 460 U.S. 730, 736-37, 103 S.Ct. 1535, 1540-41, 75 L.Ed.2d 502 (1983); Coolidge v. New Hampshire, 403 U.S. 443, 465-70, 91 S.Ct. 2022, 2037-40, 29 L.Ed.2d 564 (1971) (plurality opinion); United States v. Garcia Rosa, 876 F.2d 209, 218-19 (1st Cir.1989); United States v. Aguirre, 839 F.2d 854, 858 (1st Cir.1988); United States v. Johnston, 784 F.2d 416, 419 (1st Cir.1986) (Johnston I). 23 United States v. Rutkowski, 877 F.2d 139, 140-41 (1st Cir.1989). 24 Because we have found that the warrants had a probable cause foundation, the first criterion, lawful presence of the searching officers, has been met. Defendant concedes that the discovery was inadvertent, appellant's brief at 11 n. 3, so the second criterion has been met. 5 The question, therefore, is whether the evidentiary value of the firearms was immediately apparent to the searchers. We do not see how this can be seriously disputed. 25 It is now recognized by us and other circuits that firearms are one of the tools of the trade of drug dealers. Guns, like glassine bags, scales and cutting equipment are an expected and usual accessory of the narcotics trade. See United States v. Green, 887 F.2d 25, 27 (1st Cir.1989); United States v. Hinds, 856 F.2d 438, 443 (1st Cir.1988); United States v. Cresta, 825 F.2d 538, 554 (1st Cir.1987), cert. denied sub nom, Impemba v. United States, 486 U.S. 1042, 108 S.Ct. 2033, 100 L.Ed.2d 618 (1988). Any reasonably competent police officer who discovered firearms while searching for drugs would be immediately aware of their evidentiary significance. We hold that the plain view exception to the warrant specificity requirement applies to the seizure of the firearms. 26 Because we have found that the seizure of the firearms and their admission into evidence was proper, we conclude that defendant suffered no prejudice from his trial attorney's withdrawal of the motions to suppress, and thus, his ineffective assistance of counsel claim fails. Accordingly, we need not determine whether the attorney's performance was deficient. Based on our reading of the record, however, we have no hesitancy in saying that in our opinion defendant's trial attorney did a competent workmanlike job for defendant; his withdrawal of the motion to suppress was an informed acknowledgement of the pertinent law, not deficient representation. 27 Affirmed.