MEMORANDUM AND ORDER
Thе defendants, Noel Remy, Edward Garcia, Liliana Vasquez and Dora Gonzalez, are charged with possessing with intent to distribute approximately two kilograms of cocaine in violation of 21 U.S.C. Sections 812, 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B) and 18 U.S.C. Section 2. The defendants are also charged with conspiring to distribute cocaine and possess cocaine with intent to distribute it in violation of 21 U.S.C. Section 846. Defendant Noel Remy (“Remy”) has moved to suppress physical evidence seized in alleged violation of his Fourth Amendment rights. Defendant Dora Gonzalez (“Ms. Gonzalez”) joins in Remy’s motion. Defendant Liliana Vasquez (“Ms. Vasquez”) has also moved for a bill of particulars pursuant to Rule 7(f) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. Evi-dentiary hearings were held on December 23, 1986 and January 22, 1987. The motions are denied.
With regard to the motion to suppress evidence, this memorandum memorializes the motion’s denial in open court on December 23, 1986.
BACKGROUND
On July 19, 1986, an allegedly reliable confidential informant (“CI”) of the DEA, accompanied by an unidentified friend, met with Remy and Edward Garcia (“Garcia”) at 181st Street and Fort Washington Avenue, Bronx, New York to negotiate a purchase of cocaine. The CI was in the passenger seat of a car with his friend when Remy and Garcia arrived in a jeep. Garcia came over to the CI, introduced himself, and told the CI to take the driver’s seat and follow the jeep. Garcia told the Cl’s friend to ride in the jeep with Remy while Garcia rode with the CI. The four men went to 193rd Street and Fort Washington Avenue where the CI negotiated with Remy to buy two kilograms of cocaine for $25,000 each. After that, the four drove to Remy’s apartment at 3820 Bailey Avenue, Apt. IE, Bronx, New York, where Remy gave the CI a sample of cocaine. While inside the apartment, the CI observed a large Doberman pinscher which he was told was an attack dog.
Immediately following this meeting, the CI met with Brian Averi (“Agent Averi”), a Special Agent for the DEA, who had witnessed the initial meeting at 181st Street and Fort Washington Avenue. The CI then gave Agent Averi the sample that had been provided by Remy. A field test of the sample proved positive for the presence of cocaine.
Five days later, on July 24, 1986, at approximately 6:25 P.M., the CI received a telephone call from Remy. The call was placed to the DEA’s undercover telephone and was taped. In the conversation, Remy told the CI that the deal for the two kilograms of cocaine would take place later that evening. The CI was informed that Remy would first have to go to Queens to meet an unidentified woman to pick up the two kilograms of cocaine. Remy would *664 then return to his own apartment at 3820 Bailey Avenue, Apt. IE, in the Bronx and meеt the Cl at approximately 8:00 or 8:30 P.M.
After he listened to the tape of the conversation, Agent Averi contacted an Assistant United States Attorney, at approximately 6:45 P.M. on the evening of July 24, 1986. Agent Averi described the events and what he expected would occur later that evening, that the Cl would be invited inside Remy’s apartment, see the cocaine and obtain a sample, tell Remy that the $50,000 was waiting outside with his partner in a car and then go out to the car where the sample would be tested. Once the sample was fоund to be cocaine, the Cl would return with an undercover agent to the apartment and the arrest would be made. At no time in this plan would any of the agents actually have $50,000 with which to buy the cocaine.
The Assistant United States Attorney advised Averi that he would not need a warrant as long as no search was made. At no time prior to the arrest of the defendants did Agent Averi or any other officer involved in the case attempt to obtain a written or a telephonic warrant. 1 Based on this opinion, Agent Averi immediately instructed thе surveillance agents who would participate in the arrest, all of whom were with Agent Averi at his office at 26 Federal Plaza, that when they entered Remy’s apartment later that evening, they could only seize contraband found in plain sight and that they could not search the apartment because they would not have a warrant.
At approximately 8:15 P.M. on July 24, 1986, the surveillance team, which consisted of Agent Averi, Agent Hanna, Agent Pasquarello, Agent Rooney, Undercover Agent Denehy and the Cl all arrived outside 3820 Bailey Avenue. Agent Avеri, acting in an undercover capacity, proceeded to the building at 3280 Bailey Avenue. There, along with the Cl, Agent Averi rang the buzzer for apartment IE, but no one answered. The Cl returned to an unmarked vehicle with Undercover Agent De-nehy and they both proceeded to 238th Street and Broadway where, as previously arranged, they placed several beeps from a pay phone to Remy’s two beeper numbers. Approximately seven minutes after the Cl placed the beeps, Remy drove up in a dark colored Buick with an unidentified female, who was later identified as Ms. Liliana Vasquez. The Buick pulled up across the street from the pay phone from which the Cl had been signaling Remy. Without acknowledging the Cl, Remy proceeded into a bar across the street from that pay phone and returned the beeps to the pay phone. Remy and the Cl then had a phone conversation at approximately 9:00 P.M. in which Remy instructed the confidential informant to go to 238th Street and Broadway and wait there for five minutes before proceeding to the apartment. At this point, Agent Denehy returned to his undercover vehicle and radioed to the other surveillance agents the description of the dark colored Buick and that Remy was inside the car with a female later identified as Ms. Vasquez.
Shortly after having left 238th Street and Broadway the dark colored Buick pulled up in front of 3820 Bailey Avenue and Remy and Ms. Vasquez entered the building. Ms. Vasquez was carrying a maroon and gray gym bag. As had been arranged earlier, Agent Averi met the Cl at the entrance of 3820 Bailey Avenue. As thе two men walked toward the electronic doors of the building both observed a female later identified as Ms. Dora Gonzalez tapping on a large window to their right. *665 The window turned out to be part of Remy’s ground floor apartment, apartment IE. Upon Ms. Gonzalez’ inquiry, the Cl confirmed that he was coming to see Remy. Ms. Gonzalez introduced herself as Remy’s wife and let the men inside the electronic door. After entering the building, Agent Averi acted as if he was a tenant of the building while Ms. Gonzalez led the Cl into apartment IE. Agent Averi went up into a stаirwell to conduct further surveillance. Inside the apartment, the Cl encountered Remy and Ms. Yasquez. The Cl was shown four one-half kilogram packages of cocaine by Remy. At approximately 9:16 to 9:20 P.M. the Cl took a sample of the cocaine and told Remy that the CI’s partner had the $50,000 out in the car. The Cl then went outside and removed his shirt, the prearranged signal to Agent Averi, who then radioed to the undercover vehicle that the cocaine was indeed inside the apartment. The Cl proceeded to the undercover vehicle with the sample of cocaine. Several minutes later, Agent Denehy radioed from that vehicle to all the agents that the Cl had observed three people, a dog, and four rectangular oblong plastic packages of cocaine, approximately one-half kilogram each, inside the apartment. While the Cl was outside, Agent Averi observed a few people enter the building, including Garcia, who Agent Averi heard enter an apartment on the first floor. Agent Averi radioed the baсkup team that there were now possibly four people inside the apartment.
At some time shortly after 9:25 P.M., Agent Averi let the other agents inside the building and then propped open the electronic doors with a telephone book. The Cl then returned to the building with Undercover Agent Denehy. The Cl knocked on Remy’s door and Remy opened the door and allowed the two men to begin to proceed inside the apartment. At this time, Agent Averi and the rest of the surveillance agents stepped out from the lobby wearing their badges around their necks and identified themselves as police officers. Remy tried to close the door on the Cl and Agent Denehy but the surveillance agents slammed the door back, pinning Remy againt the wall.
Agent Averi placed Remy under arrest while the other surveillance agents proceeded throughout the apartment on a security sweep and placed Ms. Gonzalez, Ms. Vasquez and Garcia under arrest. Ms. Gonzalez was arrested in the kitchen and Ms. Vasquez and Garcia were arrested in the living room. The sweep took approximately five minutes. Following the sweep, Agent Averi instructed the squad that because they did not have a search warrant, only items or contraband or weapons found in plain view could be seized or removed from Remy’s apartment at that time. These instructions were given from the living room of the two bedroom apartment and though not all the agents were in that room at the time, Agent Averi attempted to direct his voice so that all could hear the instruction.
In the living room, Agent Averi positioned himself at the dining room table to receive the items brought to him by the agents as a result of the sweep. As each item was brought to him, Agent Averi wrote down the location that each item was removed from, the initials of the agent who found the item and placed a piece of masking tape on each item with his own initials and the date. In a number of unspecified instances, after listening to an agent’s report where the items had been found in the apartment, Agent Averi determined that various objects had been sufficiently concealed so that he could not accept them without a search warrant. In those instances, Agent Averi rejected the items brought to him by the agents. The items which Agent Averi accepted from the agents on the basis that they were found in plain view during the course of the security sweep included a .380 handgun, balance beam scale, 10 boxes of plastic baggies and ziplock sandwich bags, narcotics records, lightning zapper, cocaine handbook, $1,420 in cash, rent arrears notice, digital scale, maroon and gray gym bag, Pampers box containing approximately two kilograms of cocaine, and approximately 44 grams of marijuana. Further, Agent Averi seized *666 telephone pagers from the persons of both Remy and Garcia.
At the hearing held on December 23, 1986, Agent Averi testified to the location of the items seized by the agents while inside the apartment. Though Agent Averi did not witness the seizure of any of the items, he testified that he thoroughly questioned each agent regarding the location of those items and any relevant details as each item was brought to him at the dining table. In the living room, the agents found the Pampers box contаining four one-half kilogram packages of cocaine, $1,420 in cash, a rent arrears notice, a box of plastic baggies, and a maroon and gray gym bag which was allegedly used to carry the cocaine into the apartment.
The Pampers box was found on the carpet of the living room of the apartment approximately three inches from a couch which adjoins the dining room. According to Agent Averi, the agent who seized the box told him that when it was found, the flap on the top of the box was completely open and each of the four rectangular packages was standing upright and was visible by looking at the Pampers box. The agents also found $1,420 in United States currency in Ms. Gonzalez’ pocketbook which was laying open on the living room floor. The money was found with a white rent arrears notice wrapped around it but with the ends of the bills exposed. Also in the living room, the agents found boxes of plastic baggies on a small glass television stand and the maroon and gray gym bag on the couch.
In the master bedroom of the two-bеdroom apartment, the agents found a .380 semiautomatic handgun, an Ohaus digital scale, a lightning zapper and a reference book on cocaine on top of a four foot tall armoire which was located against a wall of the bedroom approximately ten feet from the doorway. In the master bedroom the agents also found a calendar book on top of a small nightstand in the master bedroom. When found, the book was closed and the cover of the book itself contained no writings or markings.
In the kitchen, a balance beam scale was seized by an agent from an open kitchen cabinet. Boxes of Ziploc bags and plastic baggies were also found and seized from an open kitchen counter. In the smaller bedroom of the apartment, on top of a small dresser or nightstand, an agent found more boxes of plastic baggies which he seized.
The agents also seized 44 grams of marijuana. At the hearing held on December 23,1986, no testimony regarding the specific location of the 44 grams of marijuana was presented. Agent Averi did testify, however, that all the items seized were found in plain view. At a supplemental hearing held on January 22, 1987, Agent Averi testified that Agent Hanna found the marijuana in plain view atop the kitchen table.
MOTION TO SUPPRESS
A) Exigent Circumstances
The defendant Remy has moved to suppress the evidence seized from his apartment on the ground that such evidence was seized in contravention of his Fourth Amendment rights. This court must begin its analysis with the proposition that a warrantless entry into a home in order to make a routine felony arrest on probablе cause is not justified in the absence of exigent circumstances.
Payton v. New York,
In
United States v. Martinez-Gonzalez,
Factors One and Two:
Gravity or Violent Nature of the Offense and the Presence of Weapons
The offense charged in the instant case involves trafficking in cocaine. This clearly is an extremely serious offense and one that often involves violence.
United States v. Martinez-Gonzalez,
Factors Three and Four:
Probable Cause and Reason to Believe the Suspects are in the Premises to be Searched
An arrest made without a warrant is unlawful unless it is made upon probable cause.
Dunaway v. New York,
The facts supporting probable cause in this case also support the agents’ reasonable belief that the suspects were in the apartment. The Cl had seen, and had dealt with, the suspects inside the apartment just minutes before the arrests were made.
Factor Five:
Likelihood of Escape if Suspects not Swiftly Arrested
A suspect who realizes he is in immediate danger of arrest is likely to flee or attempt armed resistance.
United States v. Flickinger,
Attempted flight may not have been the only consequence if the agents had failed to act promptly after the Cl’s departure. Their suspicions roused, the suspects may very well have destroyed the evidence.
See United States v. Manfredi,
Factor Six:
The Peaceful Circumstances of the Entry
In
United States v. Gomez,
At this point, failure to prevent Remy from closing the door could have had disastrous results. If Remy had succeeded in closing the door and excluding the agents, he would likely have taken that opportunity to destroy the evidence.
See United States v. Martinez-Gonzalez,
B) Security Sweep
The facts of the instant case demonstrate the urgent need for an immediate and war-rаntless entry into Remy’s apartment. Therefore, the entry was not in violation of the protections of the Fourth Amendment. Having found the initial entry lawful, this court must next examine the propriety of the search of the apartment.
When police officers have made a lawful arrest, they may make a cursory security sweep of the premises in which the arrest took place.
United States v. Gomez,
Under the plain view doctrine, “if, while lawfully engaged in an activity in a particular place, police officers perceive a suspicious object, they may seize it immediately.”
Texas v. Brown,
The defendants, however, contend that the items seized were in fact not within the plain view of the agents conducting the sweep. After consideration of the testimony offered at the evidentiary hearings held on December 23, 1986 and January 22, 1987, this court finds that the items 2 seized were in the plain view of the agents. Further, this court finds the security sweep was limited to its proper role of a cursory search for unknown additional persons. Accordingly, the motion to suppress the items seized from Remy’s apartment is denied.
MOTION FOR A BILL OF PARTICULARS
By her motion of August 28, 1986, defendant Liliana Vasquez requested Brady material, discovery pursuant to Rules 16 and 17 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, and a bill of particulars pursuant to Rule 7(f) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. Of these three requests, the former two have been responded to by the office of the United States Attorney to the satisfaction of counsel for Vasquez. Consequently, this court need only address the request for a bill of particulars. 3
The purpose of a bill of particulars is to apprise a defendant of the essential elements of the crime with which she is charged.
United States v. Leonelli,
A bill of particulars is not a discovery tool and is not intended to allow a defendant a preview of the evidence or the theory of the government’s case.
See United States v. Culoso,
CONCLUSION
The motion to suppress the evidence seized from 3820 Bailey Avenue, Apt. IE, Bronx, New York on July 24, 1986 is denied. Thе motion for a bill of particulars is denied.
Notes
. Although there was no effort to secure a telephonic warrant, this court questions whether such a warrant could have been obtained before the scheduled meeting with Remy. Agent Averi was first in a position to request a warrant at approximately 6:45 P.M. At the earliest, the meeting with Remy was scheduled for 8:00 P.M. This allowed precious little time for the agents to secure a warrant and travel from lower Manhattan to the Bronx, the presumed site of the sale. Furthermore, at the time of Remy’s call to the Cl, it was not entirely clear where the sale was to actually take place. Given the constraints of time and uncertainty regarding the location of the contraband, it seems unlikely that the agents could have obtained a warrant prior to the planned meeting with Remy.
. Among the items found in plain view and subsequently seized was a calendar book. When found, the book was closed and its cover was free from any writing or markings. The seizure of this book was proper notwithstanding the fact that "some perusal [was] needed for the seizing agents to perceive the relevance” of the book to the crime.
United States v. Rega,
. The bill of particulars inquired:
“1. With respect to each defendant named herein, set forth the precise manner and means by which it is alleged he did combine, conspire, confederate, and agree... .[sic] to violate the enumerated narcotics laws. With respect to any such occasion, specify the date, time, place and circumstance and specify where in the Eastern [sic] District of New York such acts occurred. Specify the occasions on which, as well as dates, times, places and circumstances under which, any defendant conspired with any other known individual. Specify a physical description of such individuals, their present identities if now known and the dates, times, places and circumstances under which these individuals conspired with the defendant.
2. Set forth with regard to each defendant the precise manner and means by which it alleged [sic] that the defendant in question possessed with intent to distribute quantities of cocaine. With respeсt to each defendant state whether it is alleged that he possessed or distributed cocaine, as well as the date(s), time(s), places(s) and circumstances under which such possession took place.
.For example, although such information is substantially present in the indictment, the bill of particulars inquires “[w]ith respect to each defendant state whether it is alleged that he possessed or distributed cocaine, as well as the date(s), time(s), place(s) and circumstances under which such possession took place.”
