State v. Reed

OPINION

McKINNON, justice.

{1} This case presents three questions: (1) whether a trace amount of cocaine detected in a cellophane cigarette wrapper carried in one’s pocket proves knowledge that the substance was cocaine; (2) whether a law enforcement officer who wants to search a vehicle based on a hunch that the vehicle contains illegal drugs may validly stop the vehicle based on personal observations of violations of the Motor Vehicle Code, NMSA 1978, § 66-1-1 to -8-140 (1978, as amended through 1994); and (3) whether, based only on a hunch, an officer may broaden the scope of a routine…