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Criminal Procedure Keyed to Ohlin
United States v. Mendenhall
Citation:
446 U.S. 544 (1980)Facts
The respondent arrived at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport on a commercial airline flight from Los Angeles on February 10, 1976. As she disembarked from the airline, two agents of the DEA approached her, identified themselves as federal agents, and asked to see her identification and airline ticket. The respondent produced her driver’s license, which was in the name of Sylvia Mendenhall. The airline ticket was issued in the name of “Annette Ford.” The agents asked the respondent if she would accompany them to the airport DEA office for further questions. at the office, the agent asked if she would allow a search of her person and handbag and that she had the right to decline the search. She responded: “Go ahead.” A female police officer arrived to conduct the search and the respondent upon request began to remove her clothing. She took from her undergarments two small packages, one of which appeared to contain heroin, and handed both to the policewoman. The agents then arrested the respondent for possessing heroin.
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