State v. Correa

Citations

• 340 Conn. 619

Syllabus

The defendant was convicted, following a conditional plea of nolo conten- dere, of the crimes of conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to sell, conspiracy to possess narcotics with intent to sell by a person who is not drug-dependent, and conspiracy to operate a drug factory. During surveillance of a motel for illegal activity, a police officer, observing an individual, T, quickly enter and exit the defendant's motel room at around 1 a.m., believed that he had witnessed a drug transaction. After T exited the motel room, he entered a vehicle driven by another individual, which departed from the motel. A short distance from the motel, the police stopped the vehicle. When the police approached the vehicle, they smelled a strong odor of marijuana emanating from inside The listing of justices reflects their seniority status on this court as of the date of oral argument. 620 JANUARY, 2022 340 Conn. 619 State v. Correa the vehicle. After T was removed from the vehicle, he admitted to possessing marijuana. A search of T's person revealed, inter alia, mari- juana and heroin. The police ultimately detained T, who, at that time, denied being in or having any connection with the defendant's motel room. The police then went to the house of T's grandmother, where T was living. After T's grandmother consented to a search of T's bedroom, the officers searched that room and found numerous plastic bags with the corners cut off, as well as other bags containing an off-white powder residue. The officers went back to the motel and spoke with the manager, who advised them that the defendant paid cash to rent a room there for a week and provided them with a copy of the defendant's driver's license. The manager also indicated that a guest registration card for that room included the name of an individual with T's surname, which the police believed was most likely T. The officers then went to knock on the defendant's motel room door. The officers observed a light on, but