I don't think this is Huh? Going to be a record for >> Oh my god. >> This smells like coke. I'm just going to leave that sucker in there. >> On September 25th, 2023, near mile marker 27 on Interstate 70 outside Fruita, Colorado, a lane we've stopped produced nearly 300 lb of suspected cocaine, estimated street value $3.8 million. The real issue here is not the drugs they found. It is whether every step taken to find them was constitutionally sound. >> Hello. Not too bad. I'm Jake, State Patrol. Been stopping you guys weaving quite a bit. Just want to make sure you're okay and not driving or anything like that. >> He just changed on the uh um >> Okay. >> I'm a brother to some Alabama fans. Yeah, we we we've been looking sloppy here. >> Oh, okay. >> I want to see y'all tell my um >> Yeah, you got your license and registration. >> I want to go see Colorado play. >> Oh, nice. >> My you know the uh the son of you know I I grew up in Atlanta. I stayed in Atlanta a long time ago. >> Oh, nice. Yeah, you got your registration and insurance. >> It's a windy >> Huh? >> It's kind of windy. >> Uh not too bad. >> Well, you're probably used to it. >> Yeah. >> I just I got the truck stopped. I mean the uh we'll get gas in a minute. It's kind of windy. >> Uh >> I got to see I got socks on. >> Little chilly for you? >> Yeah, I'm used to I'm used to >> Whose car is it? You said what? Whose car is it? Your uncle's? Okay. It's okay. I'll try to pull it up on the computer. Come on back with me while we check your license and all that good stuff. All right. Do you have any weapons on you? Do you mind if I pat you down? Is that okay? No bombs, bazookas, hand grenades? Okay. The reason why is because you can have a seat in my car, okay, man? Oh, hang tight. Let me just check your ankles real quick. Face my car. You just got pockets down there. Okay. Come on over here to my passenger side. >> You know, headed to you. Back home to Illinois. >> Oh, okay. >> This is how long you've been on this back on this road. >> Where are you guys coming from today? >> Down from Vegas. >> Oh, really? >> Yeah. Um I was traveling to Vegas. Took a long time. >> Is this your uncle? >> Yes. >> Okay. Is it his car? >> No. It's his brother's. >> It's what? A different uncle? >> Yeah. >> Oh, okay. Do you have a cell phone number, man? >> My cell phone number 6 >> So, you guys out in uh Las Vegas? >> Yeah. >> Did you do any fun out there? >> Huh? >> Any fun out there? >> Besides being funny. >> That's what uh Vegas is for. >> I mean Now with the casino wise is good to go to the casino, but then again you got to know what you working with when you going to the casino. Because you can go in there go to the casino win and you go there and produce everything. That wasn't the case. Hell no. >> How long were you guys out there for? >> I say about >> Staying at the Any good hotels out there? >> They had the Circus Circus Hotel. >> Oh, really? >> It was right off across from the What's that? The Penn and Pennian on Pennian on stadium. That's the radiant the radiant stadium right across the street from there. >> At the Circus Circus? >> Mhm. No, it's It's called Circuit Hotel. It's like hotel and casino together. >> Okay. Did you have insurance for the vehicle? >> Yes, it should be >> We didn't see that on there on the registration either, so we'll have to double check that. You said it might be up in the glove box. >> Yeah. >> Let me go get that insurance information from him. >> Okay. >> Otherwise uh you might have an issue with your insurance cuz it's not listed on here, okay? >> Okay. >> Okay. So, here's your Here's license and registration. >> Yes, it should be. >> Just a warning. It's not a ticket. It's courtesy warning for failing to drive in the designated lane and weaving. We said I just want to make sure you're okay, not tired or anything like that or drunk driving. >> No, I just started driving to tell you the truth. My uncle was using my car. He did all the driving. >> Oh, man. >> Yeah. >> A lot of hard driving, huh? >> Yes, sir. >> All All You you any questions for me? >> No, sir. So, uh So, what uh I never got a courtesy ticket. >> So, it's just a warning. It's not It's not uh uh a ticket. You don't have to do anything with it. >> Okay. >> All right. All right, sir. Um I just have a couple more questions if you don't mind. Uh any anything illegal inside that vehicle? >> Nope. >> Okay. Uh any weapons or anything like that? >> No bombs, bazookas. >> No rifles or handguns or anything like that? Okay. Uh any large amounts of cash currency? Did you strike it big at Vegas? >> Hell no. What the hell I did. >> Uh no suitcases full of money or nothing like that? >> Oh, [ __ ] >> Okay. Uh any uh so, no large any uh car? >> Nope. >> Any large amounts >> Nope. >> Any personal Any personal use? >> Nope. >> Okay. Um so, nothing like that, nothing illegal, no dead bodies or or anything like that? Are you believing me? Did you see that in Florida? >> No, I didn't see that in there. >> where the trooper and then all of a sudden he was like kind of asking the guy and they opened the trunk and found a a dead body in there? In a Camaro? >> I seen it. The only thing I heard about when I was >> can see it's a brand new video. I'm not even kidding you. >> I'm going to check that one out. >> No, in a mouth of a gator. >> I saw that half-eaten body in a mouth of a gator. >> Yeah, that [ __ ] was crazy. I was like, how the [ __ ] Florida could deal with all that [ __ ] gators and all that [ __ ] Y'all get so much hurricanes and [ __ ] >> Um anything in there that belongs to anybody else other than you two? >> No. >> Okay. So, everything you guys are responsible for everything in that car. Okay. So, nobody asked you to bring anything back or anything like that. You don't have anything to worry about, nothing illegal, anything like that. So, you're good with me searching, make sure there's nothing illegal in there? >> Ain't nothing illegal in there. Not at all. Just say it then. You know, it's drug stop. That's it. So, now I'm wild we going to pull over here. >> Cuz that's my job. >> Okay. >> So, that's that's honestly what I do. I'm a I'm a task force officer and that that is my job. Is I I look for that stuff. >> Okay. >> So, that that's that's what I That's I'll be straight up with you. This is my job to come out here and look for this type of stuff. That's what I do full-time. >> I ain't no liar. >> Obviously, traffic safety's number one, but if we see other things while we're on a on a stop, that's something that I'm paid to to look into. >> Right, right. Is this brown going by business? >> You have suitcases in there. Do you have any bags that belong to you? >> Yes. >> Okay. How many bags do you have that belongs to you? >> I got about four four bags. >> Okay. Hard-sided or soft-sided? >> Why is this [ __ ] beyond the land? You know I'm brown. I see it. >> So, you got four bags on the left that belong to you? >> Yes. >> And those belong to you. >> Yes. >> That you know everything that's inside of them. >> Yes. Just clothes. >> Okay. Okay. >> Just clothes. >> Okay. Um >> Just clothes. >> Look, man, I I I I'll be honest with you. I want to work with you. Okay? Um Cooperation goes a long ways. >> I'm brown for a reason. >> I I I know and I'm just telling you cuz I suspect otherwise and I'm I I >> And I I just pulled over a black or what cuz >> That that ain't one bit a part of it. Okay? So, when you're done with that, we'll we'll continue to have a man-to-man conversation. Okay? >> So, that that ain't >> Okay. Race never came up one bit and I don't know why you're trying to bring that up now. >> No, the reason why I'm bringing it up because we having a conversation about the ticket and you going through other places trying to incriminate me. >> No. No, I told you that's my job. It has nothing to do about how you look, your ethnicity. >> ticket, so am I free to go? >> I gave you a warning. Okay? >> So, I'm free to go. >> Yeah, I'll give you your stuff back. okay? So, you don't want to give me consent? >> No consent. >> When the warning was issued and documents returned, the stop's legal mission was complete. Rodriguez versus United States holds that continued detention at that point requires independent reasonable suspicion. Here, that suspicion existed before a single word was exchanged, built on a pre-stop plate query showing the van had traveled Colorado to Nevada to California and back. While that routing alone would not clear the bar, paired with the early morning hour, a third-party registered vehicle, and conflicting travel accounts from two men questioned separately, the totality standard under United States versus Sokolow was met. What comes next tests whether the trooper built on that foundation or overplayed his hand. >> Okay. >> I just want to go back to >> That's fine. Okay, that's fine. I'm going to have a dog come out here, sniff the car, and we're going to go from there, all right? Just hang tight. >> But as I'm free to go. >> Not at this point. >> But you already gave me my ticket. >> Hello. >> Hey, so real quick, um I was talking with your your buddy back there. Um Do you guys have bags in the car here? >> Yeah. >> Okay. Do Does everything in the car belong to you guys or are you guys responsible for everything in that's in this car? >> Well, them are my bags. Them are my bags. Them are my bags right here. >> Which one's your bag? >> My bag, my bags. >> Oh, just that that blue one? >> My bag, my bags. >> Okay. Um do you have any suitcases? >> Yeah, we got suitcases. >> No, do you have any? >> No, I got I just got my bag. I got my bag. >> Any of those bags in the back belong to you? >> No. >> Okay. >> No. >> Um uh anything uh illegal inside the vehicle? >> No. >> Nothing illegal? Any any any meth in the vehicle? Any personal use? >> No. I don't even do drugs, but no. >> Okay. Any large amounts of >> No. Any cocaine? >> No. Any meth? Any large amounts of cash currency? >> Oh, no, no, no, no. >> Okay. Um, did you guys go to California? >> I was in I was in Las Vegas, gambling. >> You were in Las Vegas? >> Yeah, I was in Las Vegas, gambling. >> Did he ever go to California? >> I don't I don't know. >> Okay. >> He wanted to come and pick me back up after gambling. >> Okay. All right, sounds good. Um, >> What what did he do? You weaving and stuff? >> Yep. Yep. >> He He probably thought he was on >> So, my job is I'll be straight with you. I'm a task force officer, okay? I'm I'm paid to to come out here and one, enforce traffic safety, but two, also look for for other things, which drugs, smuggling, stuff like that type of weapons, human smuggling, that type of thing. Okay. Okay. Well, I'm not I'm not accusing you of doing drugs. I'm just asking if there's drugs in the car. Okay. All right. >> I know you bought that little headset, and you kept trying to fix, you know, mess with it. >> Mhm. Okay. So, you just have that one bag? >> Yeah, I just got that one bag, yeah. >> Okay. All right, sounds good. Hey, Todd, I'll be back with you shortly, okay? Did you have an ID on you? >> Yeah, I got an ID. >> So, I got it Here's the deal. He refused consent, um, which that's his right. He can refuse consent to search the vehicle, but I got a dog coming. He's going to come sniff the car. >> Why you do that? I ain't got nothing. He got one bag. >> Yep. >> Yeah, I told you this car is clean. >> Oh, god. This is I don't think this is >> I'm sorry. clean. Huh? Do you have something to break that? And then there's the marijuana. Thanks. In the backseat. Oh, mother [ __ ] You want to talk to me right now? >> Yeah. >> All right. You might want to advise him of his rights. All right. >> Hey, what's going on? >> Good, you? And now? >> What's up? >> Just a little bit of drugs. That's hard deal. Oh. Was it I haven't even got to Dallas. >> Oh. >> Give me your record. I got to get your record. Yeah. Damn. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, good catch. Yeah. Yeah. Are they saying anything? What are they saying? >> No. I'll let him try to talk to him, but mother Jesus. Try now. >> Oh my god. It smells like coke. I'm just going to leave that sucker in there. >> Inside the vehicle were bags and suitcases with tightly wrapped packages. Investigators later determined the total weight was approximately 290 lb of suspected cocaine. Nearly 300 lb. That's one of the largest roadside seizures in the area. Both men were arrested and booked into the Mesa County Detention Facility. >> Hey man, step out real quick. I'm going to have you step down. Put your hands behind your back. Palms together. Put your palms together. There you go. No, you're holding them apart. That's together. >> Like you're praying. >> Yeah, you're going to talk to them here in a few. Shane. With Homeland Security Investigations. And I I want to hear your side of the story, all right? All right, so we'll see if you can help me out. We'll see what happens, okay? Um this is just part of protocol here. It's not personal. We got to put you in here in order to transport you. You're going to go back to my office. My boss is going to be there and we'll talk with you, all right? Stick your feet in real quick. Yeah, yeah. How can I help you? You want me to go behind you and lift up? You want me to put my foot here and push against you? All right, here. So, you push against me. Oh, don't put Don't sit on your hands, though. Here, come back. There you go. Bring your hands up. There you go. Now, scoop back. There. Perfect, right there. >> Colorado Revised Statute Section 42-4-1007 requires drivers to stay in a single lane as nearly as practicable. The van crossed the fog line. That is the lawful basis for the initial stop. Still, a lane weave at 3:30 in the morning is a common pretext challenge. What insulates this stop is the pre-contact intelligence, not the lane violation alone. Pennsylvania versus Mimms established that officers may order a driver out of the vehicle during any lawful stop. No additional justification required. That said, separating driver from passenger is also deliberate interdiction technique. Isolated subjects cannot coordinate their stories. The conflicting accounts that followed were a direct product of that separation working as designed. When Stokley refused consent to search, that was his Fourth Amendment right. Critically, a refusal to consent cannot by itself create reasonable suspicion. The trooper did not cite the refusal as justification. He had documented grounds independent of it. Officers who use a refusal as the basis for further detention are on the wrong side of established Fourth Amendment precedent. In Colorado, deploying a drug detection dog carries a higher bar than federal law requires. People versus McKnight, decided by the Colorado Supreme Court in 2019, held that a marijuana trained dog constitutes a search under Article 2, Section 7 of the Colorado Constitution. The trooper's documented reasonable suspicion satisfied even that heightened state standard. Rather than search immediately on the canine alert alone, the trooper applied for a warrant. Under Illinois versus Gates, a warrant affidavit is evaluated on the totality of circumstances. Routing intelligence, conflicting statements, K9 alert, third-party registration, the magistrate had a substantial basis to sign. That warrant decision is what made this case prosecution proof. Colorado Revised Statutes section 18-18-405 makes it a level one drug felony to distribute or possess with intent to distribute more than 225 grams of a schedule two controlled substance. Cocaine qualifies under section 18-18-204. The load recovered here vastly exceeded that threshold. Both men also face the special offender charge under Colorado Revised Statutes section 18-18-407 for transporting more than 7 grams into Colorado. The federal conspiracy count under title 21, United States Code section 846, requires only knowing participation, not direct possession of the drugs. Stokley pleaded guilty federally to conspire to distribute 5 kg or more of cocaine and received 31 months, well below the 10-year mandatory minimum under title 21, United States Code section 841. That reduction signals a safety valve departure, substantial assistance, or both. The specific grounds were not made public. On the trooper, pre-stop intelligence gathering, lawful separation, transparent handling of the consent refusal, and the decision to get a warrant rather than rely on the automobile exception alone, all reflect constitutional discipline. The one procedural gap flagged on camera, the Miranda advisement, cannot be skipped before custodial questioning. On Stokley, refusing consent was correct. The problem is he arrived there only after extensively answering questions he had no obligation to answer. Once the warning was issued and documents returned, nothing he said was legally required. His conflicting account of the Las Vegas trip became a pillar of the search warrant affidavit. On Campbell, he said less and claimed only one bag, but presence in a vehicle carrying nearly 300 pounds of cocaine, combined with a conflicting travel account and Airbnb camera footage placing the van in Ontario, California, created serious federal exposure. The federal conspiracy statute does not require touching the drugs. It requires knowing participation. First lesson, knowing when to stop talking is the most underutilized right in the country. After your documents are returned and a warning is issued, you are legally free to say nothing. Voluntary statements made after that point are not protected. They are evidence. The Fifth Amendment right to silence exist precisely for moments like this one. Second lesson, refusing consent to search is not suspicious. It is your right. A refusal alone cannot justify further detention, but independent reasonable suspicion documented before the refusal can. Refuse consent clearly then stop speaking. One without the other, as this case shows, is incomplete protection. Third lesson, for law enforcement, getting a search warrant rather than relying on a warrantless search is strategically smarter. A warrant built on documented independent facts is extraordinarily difficult to suppress. The constitutional work was done here before anyone opened a suitcase. If there is a body cam video, a police encounter, or a legal question you want analyzed, let us know in the comments below. Thanks for watching. Be sure to like this video, subscribe to the channel, and join us for more in-depth legal breakdowns.