Opinion ID: 202274
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Boilerplate

Text: 16 Martinez says that the affidavits are too general, i.e., they do not specifically relate the request for Title III surveillance to the specific case at hand. This characterization of the affidavits is inaccurate. The Masiello affidavits describe in case-specific detail the DEA's use, or consideration and rejection, of eight traditional investigative techniques: (1) physical surveillance; (2) cooperating witnesses; (3) undercover officers; (4) witness interviews; (5) grand jury subpoenas; (6) search warrants; (7) pen registers; and (8) telephone tolls. 17 For example, as to physical surveillance, the affidavits stated that, while partially successful in advancing the investigation— i.e., identifying Gallo as Martinez and tentatively identifying two locations used as stash houses or money houses— physical surveillance was of limited additional value because it could only tell the DEA what they could see, e.g., the contents of opaque black bags could not be ascertained. Furthermore, the affidavits explained that prolonged surveillance was not advisable because, in general, it is often detected by the targets of an investigation. 18 As to the use of the grand jury, the affidavits explained that such use would be largely ineffective because the true identities or actual whereabouts of many of the targets of the investigation remained unknown. Additionally, the affidavits opined that if the principals of the conspiracy, their co-conspirators, and other participants were called to testify before the grand jury, they would likely be uncooperative and invoke their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Furthermore, the affidavits noted that granting immunity to individuals already identified might insulate highly culpable members of the conspiracy from prosecution, and premature use of the grand jury could alert the members of the conspiracy to the investigation. 19 The Masiello affidavits explained in similar detail the problems, both actual and potential, with the other six listed investigative techniques. Aware of these explanations, Martinez claims that [e]ven when they are specific to this investigation, the problems recited are common to most, if not all, drug investigations. The affidavits simply do not explain why this investigation is different from the ordinary drug investigation and thus warrants use of electronic surveillance while others do not. In support of this argument, he cites the Tenth Circuit case of United States v. Castillo-Garcia, 117 F.3d 1179 (10th Cir.1997) (overruled on other grounds by United States v. Ramirez-Encarnacion, 291 F.3d 1219, 1222 n. 1 (10th Cir.2002)). There, the Tenth Circuit upheld a district court's decision to suppress evidence obtained from a number of wiretaps because the supporting affidavits simply failed to contain any evidence, other than conclusory evidence that would apply to virtually all drug conspiracy investigations, that `normal investigative procedures'—particularly `standard visual and aural surveillance'—would have been unlikely to succeed. Id. at 1195 (emphasis omitted). 20 The affidavits here do not simply reiterate conclusory evidence. They explain in detail how and why other normal investigative techniques were either exhausted or not feasible. Moreover, Martinez is misguided in his insistence that the government can meet the Title III necessity requirement only by showing that the particular investigation at issue is different from the ordinary drug investigation. There is no requirement that the government establish such a difference. Necessity is a function of the specifics of the case, not its uniqueness. If a seemingly ordinary drug investigation requires a Title III wiretap, and the government establishes that necessity with the particulars of a given investigation, no more is needed. The ordinariness of the investigation does not preclude a finding of necessity for the use of wiretaps to further the investigation. In this instance, we are satisfied that the affidavits provided sufficient detail to meet the necessity requirement of Title III. 21