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sometimes involves the seizure of cash being illegally
transported across the international border. In Reese's
experience, narcotics and currency couriers, who frequently
use Bellingham airport, travel lightly.
Reese, dressed in full Border Patrol uniform to include
a visible sidearm, approached petitioner and Goncalo at the
entrance of the airport. Petitioner and Goncalo were each
carrying one small carry-on bag. Reese asked the two men
where they were from and for identification. Petitioner
unzipped his carry-on bag to obtain his driver's license.
Petitioner and Goncalo each handed his driver's license to
Reese, who examined the licenses. After asking where
petitioner and Goncalo were from and looking at their
driver's licenses, Reese no longer suspected that petitioner
and Goncalo were not U.S. citizens. Reese did not return
the driver's license to petitioner at that time.
After looking at petitioner's and Goncalo's driver's
licenses, Reese asked to see their airplane tickets.
Petitioner's and Goncalo's tickets were in the names of
R. Johnson and J. Johnson. Petitioner claimed that the
tickets were not in his and Goncalo's names because he had
purchased them from a man in a bar who offered him a "good
buy". Although Reese knew that traveling under fictitious
names is a common practice, he did not believe petitioner's
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Last modified: May 25, 2011