Opinion ID: 411710
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Reliability of the informant's evidence

Text: 9 An affidavit based at least in part on the tip of an unnamed informer must satisfy two requirements. First, it must disclose some underlying circumstances on which the informant relied. Aguilar v. Texas, 378 U.S. 108, 114, 84 S.Ct. 1509, 1513, 12 L.Ed.2d 723 (1964); see United States v. Davis, 663 F.2d 824, 828 (9th Cir.1981); United States v. Lefkowitz, 618 F.2d 1313 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 449 U.S. 824, 101 S.Ct. 86, 66 L.Ed.2d 27 (1980); United States v. Garrett, 565 F.2d 1065, 1070 (9th Cir.1977), cert. denied, 435 U.S. 974, 98 S.Ct. 1620, 56 L.Ed.2d 67 (1978). Second, the affidavit must present facts enabling the magistrate to conclude that the informant is credible and his information reliable. Aguilar v. Texas, 378 U.S. at 114, 84 S.Ct. at 1513; United States v. Traylor, 656 F.2d at 1330. See United States v. Davis, 663 F.2d at 828. 10 We find both requirements to be satisfied here. The informer's statement, as reported in the affidavit, that he smelled an odor such as ether, and that he was familiar with the smell of ether, demonstrates that the caller was relating his own observations, thus satisfying the first prong of the test. See United States v. Garrett, 565 F.2d at 1070. Because the informant was unknown to the investigators, no direct evidence of his credibility and reliability was possible. However, under Spinelli v. United States, 393 U.S. 410, 89 S.Ct. 584, 21 L.Ed.2d 637 (1969), independent corroboration of the tip may satisfy this requirement. The unknown informer's statement that a strong odor of ether emanated from the premises was corroborated by McLaughlin's averment that he and another officer also smelled a strong odor of ether coming from the Avenue 320 residence. See United States v. Garrett, 565 F.2d at 1070.