Government of the Virgin Islands v. Fabiani-Ogno

MEMORANDUM OPINION

I

In this opinion the court makes clear the distinction between the exceptions to the warrant requirement and the exceptions to the exclusionary rule. This distinction is significant because a holding that a search and seizure is illegal does not automatically mean that the evidence must be suppressed under all circumstances or for all purposes.

Here, three consolidated cases are before the court on the defendants’ motion to suppress contraband seized without a warrant. They contend that the search which produced the contraband violated their Fourth Amendment rights, and…