DECISION AND ENTRY OVERRULING IN PART AND OVERRULING, AS MOOT, IN PART DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO SUPPRESS EVIDENCE (DOC. # 14)
The Defendant Jeffrey Dixon (“Defendant” or “Dixon”) is charged in the Indictment (Doc. # 8) with one count of attempting to possess with intent to distribute in excess of five kilograms of cocaine. This case is now before the Court on the Defendant’s Motion to Suppress Evidence (Doc. #14).
The Defendant’s motion contains three branches. Addressing the three branches in reverse order, the Defendant requests with the third branch of his motion that the Court suppress any statements he may *928 have made to investigating officers. On March 22, 2001, this Court conducted an oral and evidentiary hearing on the Defendant’s motion. Prior to witnesses testifying, the Government indicated that the Defendant had not made any such statements which the Government would seek to introduce at trial in its case in chief. See Transcript of March 22, 2001 Hearing (Doc. # 22) at 4. See also, Doc. # 23 at 2. Accordingly, the Court overrules the third branch of Defendant’s motion, as moot.
With the second branch of his motion, the Defendant requests that the Court suppress recordings of his telephone conversations with Peter Gonzalez (“Gon-. zalez”), a Government informant. According to Defendant, recording those conversations violated his rights under the Fourth Amendment and Title III of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act (“Title III”), 18 U.S.C. §§ 2510-21, because neither he nor Gonzalez consented to that activity. During the March 22nd evidentiary hearing, evidence was introduced on the issue of whether Gonzalez had given his consent to the recording of his conversations with the Defendant. In his post-hearing memorandum (Doc. # 25), the Defendant has not addressed that issue. Without addressing whether the Defendant has waived this branch of his motion by failing to address it in his post-hearing memorandum, the Court finds that the evidence presented establishes that Gonzalez had consented to having his conversations with the Defendant recorded, and, further, concludes that such consent precludes the suppression of the recordings under either the Fourth Amendment or Title III. During the evidentiary hearing, Gonzalez testified that he had given the Government consent to record his conversations with the Defendant. Gonzalez’s statements in that regard were corroborated by the testimony by Bill Toney, a police officer employed by the City of Trotwood, Ohio. The Sixth Circuit has indicated that “neither the United States Constitution nor any federal statute prohibits law enforcement officials from recording or listening to phone conversations so long as one of the parties to the conversation has consented.”
Manetta v. Macomb County Enforcement Team,
The Defendant devotes the entirety of his post-hearing memorandum to the first branch of his motion, to wit: his request that the Court suppress the evidence that was seized when search warrants were executed at 640 Gramont Avenue, Dayton, Ohio, 706 West Third Street, Dayton, Ohio, and 1630 Parkhill Avenue, Dayton, Ohio. United States Magistrate Judge Michael Merz issued those search warrants on the basis of identically worded affidavits executed by Special Agent Raymond Dratt (“Dratt”) of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) on September 28, 2000. 1 *929 As a means of analysis, the Court will initially review the statements contained in those affidavits, following which it will survey the basic principles which must be applied when a defendant seeks the suppression of evidence seized pursuant to a search warrant. The Court will then address the Defendant’s arguments in support of his request that the Court suppress the evidence seized from the three locations.
In his affidavit, Dratt states that DEA agents in Miami, Florida, arrested five individuals on July 28, 2000. Dratt Affidavit (Government’s Exhibit 2, 4 and 6) ¶ 5. One of those arrested, who is identified in the affidavit as CS1, 2 agreed to cooperate with the DEA. Id. On September 15, 2000, CS1 told DEA agents that he had been delivering multiple kilograms of cocaine to an individual in Dayton, known to him as “Jeff.” Id. at ¶ 6. CS1 identified a photograph of the Defendant as “Jeff.” Id. While he remained in Florida, CS1, at the direction of law enforcement officials, paged Dixon. Id. at ¶ 7. The Defendant, who was in Dayton, responded with his own page, bearing a telephone number for an Ameritech pay telephone located at 4779 Germantown Pike, Dayton, Ohio. Id. CS1 called Dixon at that telephone and the two discussed the Defendant’s desire to purchase multiple kilograms of cocaine. Id. Defendant indicated that he was willing to pay $20,000 per kilogram. Id. CS1 told Dixon that he would get back with him if he could locate cocaine for that price. Id. That telephone conversation was monitored and recorded by law enforcement officials. Id. Thereafter, DEA agents in Miami relayed the information to their counterparts with the DEA’s Dayton office, and arrangements were made for CS1 to travel to Dayton. Id. at ¶ 8.
On September 27, 2000, CS1 flew to Dayton and met with DEA agents including Dratt. Id. at ¶ 9. CS1 identified pictures of the Defendant as “Jeff,” and 640 Gramont Avenue, 706 West Third Street and 1680 Parkhill Drive as locations which he had visited with Dixon while conducting drug transactions. According to CS1, he had delivered approximately 600 kilograms of cocaine to Dixon between late 1996 and July, 2000, when he (CS1) had been arrested. Id. at ¶ 10. CS1 also told the Dayton DEA agents that he had delivered cocaine to the Daytonian Car Wash and Detail Shop, a car wash owned by Defendant and located at 706 West Third Street. Id. Indeed, CS1 indicated that his most recent delivery of cocaine to Dixon had been made at that location. Id. at ¶ 18 According to the Haines Criss Cross Directory, the Daytonian Car Wash and Detail Shop and a construction company were located at 706 West Third Street. Id. Utilities for 640 Gramont have been in the name of Mizell Dixon since 1964. Id. at ¶ 11. CS1 indicated that 640 Gramont had been involved in prior drug transactions. Id. On January 30, 2000, Dixon had filed a criminal complaint with the Dayton Police Department and listed 1630 Parkhill Drive as his residence. Id. at ¶ 12. In addition, the Haines Criss Cross Directory lists Jeffrey Dixon as the occupant of 1630 Parkhill Drive. Id. According to CS1, the Defendant picked up money from that location during previous drug transactions. Id. On September 28, 2000, the day upon which Dratt executed his affidavit, CS1 had continued to negotiate with Dixon concerning the delivery of cocaine. Id. at ¶ 14.
In
United States v. Smith,
The Fourth Amendment, which states that “no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation,” U.S. CONST, amend. IV, requires that probable cause be determined “by a neutral and detached magistrate instead of being judged by the officer engaged in the often competitive enterprise of ferreting out federal crime.” Johnson v. United States,333 U.S. 10 , 14,68 S.Ct. 367 ,92 L.Ed. 436 (1948). In order for a magistrate to be able to perform his official function, the affidavit must contain adequate supporting facts about the underlying circumstances to show that probable cause exists for the issuance of the warrant. Whiteley v. Warden,401 U.S. 560 , 564,91 S.Ct. 1031 ,28 L.Ed.2d 306 (1971). Probable cause is defined as “reasonable grounds for belief, supported by less than prima facie proof but more than mere suspicion.” United States v. Bennett,905 F.2d 931 , 934 (6th Cir.1990). It requires “only a probability or substantial chance of criminal activity, not an actual showing of such activity.” Illinois v. Gates,462 U.S. 213 , 244 n. 13,103 S.Ct. 2317 ,76 L.Ed.2d 527 (1983). A warrant must be upheld as long as the magistrate had a “substantial basis for ... concluding] that a search would uncover evidence of wrongdoing....” Id. at 236,103 S.Ct. 2317 . See also United States v. Finch,998 F.2d 349 , 352 (6th Cir.1993).
Id.
at 476-77. In
Illinois v. Gates,
In
United States v. Leon,
Initially, the Defendant argues that Dratt’s affidavit failed to establish probable cause to believe that he (Dixon) had engaged in criminal activity (i.e., offenses relating to the distribution of controlled substances), because that affidavit was based primarily upon information supplied by CS1, whose veracity and reliability, as well as the basis of his knowledge, were not established in that affidavit.
3
This Court cannot agree. In
Gates,
the Supreme Court rejected the inflexible two-part test set forth in
Aguilar v. Texas,
*932 Based upon the foregoing, the Court rejects the Defendant’s contention that Dratt’s affidavit fails to establish probable cause to believe that the Defendant was involved in offenses relating to the distribution of cocaine, because that affidavit was based upon information supplied by an informant, whose veracity and reliability, as well as the basis of his knowledge, were not established in that affidavit.
Alternatively, the Defendant argues that the information set forth in Dratt’s affidavit failed to establish the existence of probable cause to believe that contraband or evidence of the distribution of cocaine would be found at 706 West Third Street, 640 Gramont Avenue and 1630 Parkhill Drive. In part, the Defendant bases this argument on the staleness doctrine. The Defendant points out that the search warrants were issued approximately two months after CS1 alleged he last delivered cocaine to him at 706 West Third Street and that the affidavit does not state when the other two places which were to be searched (640 Gramont Avenue and 1630 Parkhill Drive) had last been used in connection with the alleged distribution of cocaine. As a means of analysis, the Court will initially review the standards which must be applied to resolve the question of whether an affidavit contains stale information, following which it will turn to the question of whether Dratt’s affidavit established probable cause to search the three places set forth in the search warrants signed by Judge Merz, or whether, in the alternative, same is defective on account of staleness.
In
United States v. Henson,
The function of a staleness test in the search warrant context is not to create an arbitrary time limitation within which discovered facts must be presented to a magistrate. Rather, the assay focuses on one relevant part of the determination that reasonable probable cause exists to warrant the issuance of an order to ... perform a search.... [I]nformation which demonstrates a chain of related events covering a broad span of time continuing to the current period may furnish a most reliable indicia of present activity, thereby clearly demonstrating that probable cause exists for the order to intrude.In general, the basic criterion as to the duration of probable cause is the inherent nature of the crime.... [I]f an affidavit recites activity indicating protracted or continuous conduct, time is of less significance.
Id.
at 1382 (alterations in the original, citation and internal quotation marks omitted).
See also, United States v. Canan,
As an initial matter, Dratt’s affidavit described ongoing criminal activity in which Dixon was allegedly engaged, a “regenerating conspiracy” in the language of the Sixth Circuit.
See United States v. Greene,
With respect to 640 Gramont Avenue and 1630 Parkhill Drive, the Defendant points out that Dratt’s affidavit provided little current information to link those locations to the criminal activity in which the Defendant was allegedly engaging. Therein, Dratt indicated that CS1 had identified those two locations as places he and Dixon had visited during the course of their cocaine transactions. However, there is no indication as to how recently CS1 and Dixon had visited those locations during the course of their cocaine transactions. This Court finds it unnecessary to decide whether Dratt’s affidavit established probable cause to believe that contraband or evidence of the distribution of cocaine would be found at those locations, because in accordance with the good faith exception to the exclusionary rule established in Leon, the evidence seized when the search warrants were executed need not be suppressed. As is indicated above, Leon’s good faith exception to the exclusionary rule is inapplicable in four circumstances. Herein, the Defendant argues only that the “so lacking” circumstance (i.e., that Dratt’s affidavit was “so lacking in indicia of probable cause as to render official belief in its existence entirely unreasonable”) renders Leon and the good faith exception to the exclusionary rule inapplicable. Based upon the Sixth Circuit authority discussed below, this Court cannot agree.
In
United States v. Savoca,
Also instructive is
United States v. Schultz,
In
Van Shutters, supra,
officers obtained a warrant to search a residence in Tennessee, believed to be occupied by the defendant, and found numerous incriminating items during the search. Although the search warrant and supporting affidavit described the premises to be searched with particularity, identified the items to be seized in detail, and recounted the criminal scheme in which the defendant had allegedly been engaged, the affidavit neglected to indicate why the affiant believed that the defendant himself had any connection with that residence.
See
Herein, Draft’s affidavit contained more information linking the Defendant’s alleged criminal activity to 640 Gramont Avenue and 1630 Parkhill Drive than that which was contained in the affidavits at
*935
issue in
Savoca, Schultz
and
Van Shutters.
Dratt indicated in his affidavit that CS1 had told him that he had visited those locations while conducting drug transactions with the Defendant.
6
Defendant is further linked to 640 Gramont Avenue and 1630 Parkhill Drive by the additional statements in Dratt’s affidavit that the Defendant used 640 Gramont as a place to which some of his mail was sent and that he had listed 1630 Parkhill Drive as his home address.
7
Based upon that information, this Court concludes, as a matter of law, that, even if Dratt’s affidavit did not establish probable cause to believe that contraband or evidence of criminal activity would be found at 640 Gramont Avenue and 1630 Parkhill Drive, that affidavit was not “so lacking in indicia of probable cause as to render official belief in its existence entirely unreasonable.”
Leon,
Based upon the foregoing, the Court overrules the Defendant’s Motion to Suppress Evidence (Doc. # 14) in its entirety. 8
Notes
. Government Exhibits 1 and 2 were the search warrant and application for search warrant for 640 Gramont Avenue. Government Exhibits 3 and 4 were the search warrant and application for search warrant for 706 West Third Street, while the search warrant and application for search warrant for 1630 Parkhill Avenue, comprised Government Exhibits 5 and 6.
. Although Dratt’s affidavit does not expressly so state, the Court assumes that Gonzalez is the individual identified therein as CS1.
. If Draft's affidavit failed to establish probable cause to believe that Dixon had been involved in the distribution of cocaine, then clearly it did not establish probable cause to believe that contraband or evidence of criminal activity would be found at the places to be searched.
. Although conceding that
Gates
established a totality of the circumstances test under which an informant's reliability, veracity and the basis of his knowledge are only factors to consider in the probable cause equation, the Defendant contends that courts will find that an affidavit based upon information supplied by an informant establishes probable cause only when "1) the affidavit contains an explicit and detailed description of alleged wrongdoing, along with the statement that the event was seen firsthand, and 2) the police have corroborated the tip with independent investigative work.” Doc. # 25 at 5 (unnumbered). This Court cannot agree. In Allen, the Sixth Circuit, sitting
en banc,
rejected a similar two-pronged analysis, noting that in accordance with
Gates
the totality of the circumstances approach is controlling.
. The Sixth Circuit concluded that the affidavit did not establish probable cause to search the motel room, because it did not indicate how recently the defendant had been in that motel room or when he had allegedly committed the bank robberies.
.According to the affidavit, CS1 told Dratt that 640 Gramont Avenue had been involved in his prior drug transactions with the Defendant, and that the Defendant had picked up money from 1630 Parkhill Drive during several such transactions.
. Dratt was able to corroborate this information during his investigation.
. The Court has overruled that motion as moot, as it relates to statements Defendant may have made to investigating officers.
