Michael Hodges v. State of Indiana

Rush, Chief Justice.

Today we address a narrow question: did probable cause support the seizure of property that a court later ordered state police officers to turn over to federal authorities? While we answer this question affirmatively, we cannot-and do not-speculate about whether civil forfeiture of the property would be appropriate.

Here, a shipped box raised the suspicion of an interdiction officer: it displayed hallmarks of parcels containing drugs and drug money, and the officer's canine partner indicated the package bore the scent of narcotics. The officer successfully sought a warrant…