State of the Police State
Some fool is speeding and gets pulled over by the local sheriff deputies. Mr. Fool then agrees to a search of his vehicle. And yooouuurrr busted!
The driver was arrested on suspicion of having a false compartment designed for storing a controlled substance and was placed on an immigration hold.
I really fear for this nation that we even have laws like this. A large amount of cash can be confiscated because it is now suspicious. The Feds and local cops will split that, which is bad enough.
But "suspicion of having a false compartment designed for storing a controlled substance" ??? Man, that could be any false or hidden compartment in, or on, your vehicle and your busted? That's just crazy.
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Wow, better not get one of those minivans that they are advertising all of the stow and go hidden compartments under floors and seats and such.
Yeah, I hadn't thought of that. Poor soccor moms!
The law in question was passed a few years back and it specifically only outlaws compartments that are "designed to conceal illegal substances" or some wording to that effect.
They can't get you for having just any old hidden compartment, and especially not for one that was designed into the vehicle for average everyday storage. Not only is not really hidden storage if the manufacturer puts it in their advertising, but it wasn't designed to hold "illegal substances".
Of course, as they outlaw more and more items, it gets easier and easier for your home made storage compartment to fit into that category.
A quick internet search suggests that most state laws that might cover that are the simple drug paraphernalia laws, which include not just devices for ingesting illegal drugs, but devices for concealing them.
What gungeek said, basically. No compartment built into the vehicle by the manufacturer will qualify as "having a false compartment designed for storing a controlled substance", unless it's a very odd car maker indeed.
(For that matter, it would be very difficult to manage such a charge even for a compartment you made yourself, unless it actually contained drugs or drug residue or they had you on tape removing drugs from it - especially if one could demonstrate a non-illicit use.
Such as it being full of your camping or breakdown supplies.
So while I'm not exactly a giant statist, and I disapprove of the War on Drugs, this? Not such an overreach.)
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