Troopers At The Border

Two state troopers arrested two men near the Canadian border. Without a warrant, the troopers searched the men's automobile and found intoxicating liquor. The men and the liquor were immediately handed over to federal authorities, and the men were prosecuted in federal court for conspiring to import and transport liquor in violation of the national prohibition law. The liquor was the key evidence against them. Before trial the defence moved to suppress it, arguing that the arrest, search and seizure were made without a warrant and without probable cause, and that the troopers, although state officers, had acted solely on behalf of the federal government, so admitting the liquor violated the men's constitutional rights.