United States v. Oswaldo Vargas, 848 F.3d 971

Alabama trooper Corporal Shone Minor stopped a Ford Freestyle for following too close and lane violations; driver Antonio Castro admitted he had no license.
Two minutes and 57 seconds after the stop, Minor told Castro he would issue a written warning.
Minor continued routine inquiries (checking licenses, attempting to determine how to legally move the vehicle); neither Castro nor passenger Oswaldo Vargas had a license.
About 18 minutes and 34 seconds into the stop (≈15 minutes after announcing the warning), Minor requested and obtained Castro’s consent to search the vehicle.
The search revealed cocaine and methamphetamine; Vargas was charged, moved to suppress the evidence, lost, pleaded guilty with preserved appeal, and was sentenced to 123 months.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Whether the traffic stop was unreasonably prolonged after the officer issued a warning	Vargas: The stop’s purpose was complete when Minor announced the warning at 2:57, so continuing ~15 more minutes rendered the detention unconstitutional	Government/Minor: Continued detention was part of lawful "ordinary inquiries" and necessary because neither occupant could legally drive the vehicle away	The court held the continued detention was lawful because inquiries into licensing and taking steps to remove the vehicle were part of the traffic stop mission; consent was obtained while detention remained lawful

Rodriguez v. United States, 575 U.S. 348 (2015) (traffic-stop may not be prolonged beyond mission of issuing citation and ordinary inquiries)
United States v. King, 509 F.3d 1338 (11th Cir. 2007) (standard of review for suppression rulings: factual findings for clear error, legal application de novo)