United States v. Diaz

675 F. Supp. 1382, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12411, 1987 WL 21883
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedNovember 25, 1987
Docket87 CR 338
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 675 F. Supp. 1382 (United States v. Diaz) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Diaz, 675 F. Supp. 1382, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12411, 1987 WL 21883 (E.D.N.Y. 1987).

Opinion

McLAUGHLIN, District Judge.

Defendants are named in a one-count indictment charging them with conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute it in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846. They have made several pre-trial motions. A hearing was held and the following embodies rulings delivered from the bench at the conclusion of the hearing.

I. FINDINGS OF FACT

On April 1, 1987 Agent Michael Torretta of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) observed two men at a public telephone placing calls using a beeper. On a prior occasion, in February 1987, Agent Torretta had seen beeper calls being placed from that phone by individuals who turned out to be carrying five kilograms of cocaine in plastic bags. He followed the two men he saw on April 1. The two men drove to a house at 46-18 190th Street in Flushing, New York. They entered, and then exited carrying two apparently heavy white plastic shopping bags, which they placed in the trunk. They drove one-half mile to another phone booth, and soon were met by another car. The agent moved his car at this point to get a better view. When he next observed the two men, the second car was driving away. The agent followed the first car, stopped it and asked to look in the trunk. The occupants consented, but the plastic bags were gone.

The DEA commenced periodic surveil-lances of the house from April through May 7, 1987. On one occasion two Hispanic men were observed leaving the house and going to the same public phone. They noted that basement and bedroom lights had been left on. In addition, investigation disclosed that the electric bill for March 1, 1987 to April 1, 1987 was significantly more than the normal amount for the neighborhood, and mail delivery consisted of electric bills and junk mail. There was no telephone listing for the house. Based on their investigative experience, these oddities led the DEA to believe that the house was not a regular residence, but rather a narcotics stash pad or laboratory.

On May 7, 1987 agents interviewed a neighbor who corroborated this conclusion. The neighbor stated that the house would be empty for a period, followed by a flurry of activity. Men were seen coming and going, but the house did not seem to be used as a residence. The basement and bedroom lights were left on constantly, and mattresses and garbage bags often were transported in and out of the house.

*1385 As the agents stood on the neighbor’s stoop, the three defendants drove up to the suspected drug house, about 20 to 30 feet away, in a gray Chevrolet Caprice. Riano was driving; Perez and Diaz were passengers. They looked at the agents and then drove away. The agents then positioned their car to observe the house about one-half of a block away. The defendants drove around the block and again pulled up in front of the house, with the agents observing out of sight down the block. Riano got out of the car, opened the hood and trunk, and scanned the area while seemingly pretending to check the car. Perez went into the house, while Diaz was met at the door by a fourth man. Perez exited carrying a heavy cardboard box, which he put in the trunk of the Caprice. He then drove away with Riano. The agents followed them. Riano drove using “surveillance conscious” evasive procedures; he spoke on the car phone and constantly checked behind him as he circled and turned erratically. During their tail of the Caprice, the agents called for additional agents to observe the house.

After 45 minutes — at 11:30 a.m. or 12 noon — the defendants, followed by the agents, arrived at the Cue Variety Store on Roosevelt Avenue, approximately 10-15 minutes from the house if driven directly. Riano and Perez went in. Various people from the store, including two men known as Hugh Hunte and Mr. Rios, came to the door, looked around and then re-entered. By this time, there were four agents conducting surveillance at the Cue Variety Store, three on foot and one in the car.

Meanwhile, back at the house, two men came out, the first one driving away and the second one returning into the house. Then the second man came out again, looked around and went back in. Diaz then exited, carrying two large plastic bags that he placed in the trunk of a parked car. As he did so, he was approached by Agent Gerard McAleer, who looked in the open trunk at the open tops of the bags and saw a large quantity of cash. The agent arrested Diaz, searched him and found in his jacket three bundles of cash, each containing $10,000. The bags in the car held $28,000.

About one and one-half hours after they entered the Cue Variety Store — at approximately 1:30 — Riano and Perez left and went to a card store. They purchased cards, and went to a public phone. Riano and Perez then went to a parking garage, where they met a third man, jump-started a 1982 Buick and drove away. The Caprice they had driven to the Cue Variety Store remained parked outside on Roosevelt Avenue. After Riano had driven about six blocks, the agents pulled the Buick over, identified themselves, and asked Riano for license and registration. Riano said, in English, that it was not his car and that he could not produce a license and registration. Riano presented a letter from the Cue Variety Store and various Immigration and Naturalization Service papers. Both defendants stated, in response to agents’ inquiry, that they were in the United States illegally and had no papers. Riano said they had just come from the Cue Variety Store, where they had been for one and one-half hours. While the agents ran a license plate check, they were informed of Diaz’ arrest and the seizure of the cash. They then arrested Riano and Perez and drove back to the house on 46-18 190th Street.

Suspecting that someone had the keys to the Caprice that Riano and Perez had driven from the house and had left outside the Cue Variety Store on Roosevelt Avenue, the agents then decided to search it. Before searching it, however, the agents asked local police to announce that all cars be moved from the block. No one moved the Caprice. A police officer then entered the store and asked whose car it was. No one in the store claimed it. The search of the Caprice revealed that the trunk contained the cardboard box that Perez had carried from the house. The trunk contained one million dollars in cash. In addition, a Customs Service receipt of seized assets was found in the car’s glove compartment.

After observing the removal of the box from the house, and believing that the *1386 fourth unidentified male Hispanic was in the house at the time, the agents decided to search the house immediately. The agents seized a red ledger book, plastic garbage bags, and tape similar to that used on the box with the money. All these items were in plain view. The house was furnished sparsely and contained large fans of a type often found in cocaine processing mills.

The agents also ran a check on the license plates of the Caprice, the Buick and the car iri which Diaz was arrested. All three cars were registered to third parties.

II. CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

A. Diaz

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
675 F. Supp. 1382, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12411, 1987 WL 21883, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-diaz-nyed-1987.