Munoz v. United States

• Citation: 325 F.2d 23
• Decision Date: 29 November 1963
• Docket Number: No. 18488.,18488.
• Parties: John MUNOZ, Appellant, v. UNITED STATES of America, Appellee.
• Court: United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (9th Circuit)

325 F.2d 23 (1963)

John MUNOZ, Appellant, v. UNITED STATES of America, Appellee.

No. 18488.

United States Court of Appeals Ninth Circuit.

November 29, 1963.

Nubar Tashjian, San Francisco, Cal., for appellant.

Cecil F. Poole, U.S. Atty., and Jerrold M. Ladar, Asst. U.S. Atty., San Francisco, Cal., for appellee.

Before HAMLEY, JERTBERG and MERRILL, Circuit Judges.

JERTBERG, Circuit Judge:

Following trial to a jury, appellant was convicted of the offense of having knowingly and fraudulently sold and facilitated the sale, concealment and transportation of heroin at San Francisco, California, on or about December 11, 1961, in violation of the provisions of 21 U.S.C. § 174, and sentenced to the custody of the Attorney General of the United States for a period of eight years.

On this timely appeal, appellant specified as errors on the part of the District Court:

1. The admission into evidence of a box of blue stationery, after denial of appellant's timely motion to suppress the same and over appellant's timely objections, on the ground that the box of stationery was the product of an unreasonable search and seizure in violation of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, and not incident to a lawful arrest;

2. The denial of appellant's motion to hold a courtroom demonstration of an electronic device called a "Fargo Device" which transmits voice by radio; and

3. The admission into evidence over appellant's timely objections of statements or admissions made by appellant shortly after his arrest on the evening of December 22, 1961, because of the delay of the arresting officers in taking appellant, without unnecessary delay, before the nearest available United States Commissioner or magistrate contrary to the provisions contained in Rule 5(a), Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.

In order to place these specifications of error in proper focus, it is necessary to detail the background events leading up to appellant's arrest on the evening of December 22, 1961. On December 11, 1961, four Federal Narcotics Agents, acting upon information given to them by an informer, one Bob Miller alias Bob Greenberg, a convicted felon, set up plans to purchase heroin. At that time the informer was wholly unacquainted with the appellant, had never seen him, and never talked to him, had no knowledge of his place of residence and had had no transactions of any kind with him. At that time the narcotic agents were unaware of the existence of the appellant, did not know his name, had never seen or talked to him, and had no knowledge of any prior involvement by him in narcotic transactions. At approximately 6:30 o'clock p. m. on that day, Agent Lang placed a telephone call to Douglas 2-9741, which telephone was listed to a hotel at 115 Market Street (near the waterfront), and was located on the fourth floor therein. When the call was answered, the Federal Agent asked for "Frank." A few moments later an unidentified person answered the phone and said, "This is Frank, what do you want?" The agent told the party on the line that he wanted to pick up some heroin. The response was, "Well, I can get you any amount of heroin you want up to one hundred ounces." An arrangement was then made for the purchase and sale of approximately one gram. The unidentified person said he would leave the heroin in the coca cola vending machine in the lobby of the hotel and the buyer should leave the money in the machine and pick up the heroin. Agents Lang and Fahey accompanied the informer to his apartment where he was searched for narcotics. None was found. The informer was then equipped with an electronic device called a "Fargo Device" which transmits voice by radio, and furnished with $800.00 in marked money. The informer drove his own automobile and parked the same in front of the hotel at 115 Market Street. Agents Lang and Fahey followed in their own automobile and parked the same on Market Street across from the hotel. In the automobile of the agents was a portable electronic listening device. Narcotics Agent Lee was earlier dispatched to maintain surveillance on the sidewalk in front of the hotel. Prior to the entry of the informer in the hotel, Lee saw a person in the lobby of the hotel whom he identified at the trial as being the appellant. Agents Lang and Fahey were seated in the automobile across the street when they saw the informer enter the lobby. The informer proceeded to the coca cola machine. The informer met a person at the coca cola machine whom he identified at the trial as appellant. Agent Lee saw the informer and the person later identified by him as the appellant, near the coca cola machine. The informer looked inside the machine. Appellant asked "Where is the money?" The informer said "Wait till I find the stuff." The informer removed a blue envelope from the machine containing nine small blue packages. He then paid appellant $50.00. The informer then left the hotel. The transaction consumed about thirty seconds during which persons entered and left the lobby. Lang, over the listening device in his automobile, heard two voices. One said, "Give me the money", then the other voice which Lang identified as being the voice of the informer said "Wait till I get the stuff," and "Here's the money." Lang testified that the other voice which he heard on the listening device was the same voice as the person called "Frank" whom he had talked to on the phone. None of the narcotics agents witnessed the transfer of the money or the envelope. After leaving the hotel, the informer drove his own automobile to a bar located on a pier on the waterfront. He was followed by Agents Lang and Fahey. Agent Lang and the informer proceeded to the men's room of the bar where the informer delivered the blue envelope and $575.00 of marked money. Lang examined the contents of the packages which contained white powder which he believed to be heroin.

No effort was made by the narcotic agents to obtain a warrant for the arrest of appellant.

The record is silent as to any activity of the narcotic agents until December 22, 1961 when, at about 10:30 o'clock a. m., of that day, Lang observed appellant working at the establishment of the Del Monte Meat Company in San Francisco. Lang left the premises. He made no effort to secure a warrant of arrest. He returned to the premises about 12:30 p. m. with other agents and the premises were "staked out." In the late afternoon of that day appellant left the premises at the end of his day's employment without being observed by the officers. At about 5:00 p. m., on December 22nd, Lang was informed by his office that appellant lived at the Gordon Hotel, 112 Seventh Street, San Francisco. In the meantime Agent Fahey had proceeded to the hotel and discovered that appellant was registered there. He secured a passkey from the hotel clerk to appellant's room. Appellant was not in his room. Later Fahey was joined by Agent Lang and two San Francisco Police Department officers. The clerk of the hotel gave the officers the key to a vacant room nearby. At about 7:00 o'clock p. m., the officers were informed by the clerk that appellant had gone to his room. The officers proceeded to appellant's room. Agent Lang testified: "I believe that I knocked and we stated we were federal agents, and he was under arrest." He further testified that when he entered the room was dark and appellant appeared to be getting out of the bed. The entry into the room was described by Agent Fahey as follows:

"Agent Lang and I and the two officers went to the door. Lang was in front of me. He knocked and spoke, and I can hear movement in the room. I am impatient. I said `Get out of the way, Lang,\' and put the key in the door and opened it and went in with my flashlight. The defendant was sitting on the bed. I told him he was under arrest and not to move. * * *

"Q. Do you recall hearing Mr. Lang at that time, in front of the doorway of defendant\'s room state outright the purpose of his visit?

"A. Well, I recall him speaking out, but I couldn\'t quote his words. I am intent on entering and intent

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