Last week, I read United States v. Garcia, a case in which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit considered the limitations of general consent to search a vehicle under the 4th Amendment. In Garcia, Texas DPS officers requested and received permission to search Garcia's truck after he exhibited unusual behavior. While conducting the consent search, the officers noticed that the screws on the speaker cover in the truck's cab looked as if they had recently been removed and replaced. They proceeded to removed the speaker cover and find a large amount of cocaine hidden behind. As you can see, the Garcia case was clearly blawgworthy. I waited too long, however, and the 4th Amendment blog scooped me. I therefore tip my hat to the victor and direct you to their post for more info.
Fourth Amendment Blog - CA5: General consent to search a car means containers and hidden compartments
