Rental Cars: What Would You Do?

[whodi]

Say you rented out a rental car for a day or two and had to transport several pounds of MJ and say you hid it really well inside the car.

Now say a state trooper pulled you over and decided to be an ass and say he 'smells marijuana' when in reality you know it doesn't smell. Then he proceeds to ask to search the car.

First off, what are the rights with a rental car.. do you have the right to tell them no they cant search?

I was thinking you can tell the officer sure go ahead and search.. cause he might bring the drug dog in if you say no, right? Well if he does search by himself, or with a dog, and happens to find the MJ, couldn't you just say it's a rental car and you had no idea anything was in there? ANd then if he insists on hounding you, just shutup and get a lawyer if they arrest you?

 

[UmphreyMcgee420]

Never consent to a search with drugs in the car.

 

[whodi]

But isn't 'smell of marijuana' probable cause to get a search warrant easily on the interstate/highways of America? Even if they didn't smell it.. that's all they gotta say...

At your home you dont even have to go to the door.. but it's kinda hard to avoid confrontation with a cop on the streets.

And sure you may say "just crack the window and talk to him" But in reality we all know that is suspicious as hell. And we are talking pounds here, not ounces.

But say you didn't ever consent to a search and they found it inside the rental car.. do you think that 'it was a rental car and I had no idea it was hidden in the car" would hold up better in court than your own vehicle?

 

[FirstTracks]

refuse the search

if they then search and find it:
-there can't be any of your hair, fingerprints, or flaked skin (anything containing your dna) on the packaging or cannabis.

then, and only then, will you have a chance of a lawyer getting you off. anything with your fingerprint or dna will be tied back to you.

-ideally, no drugs in your system (whether by blood test, uranalysis, or hair test)

no drugs in your system makes a stronger case for you in court that you are not a drug user and are therefore less likely to be in possession.

-you will most likely still go to jail, at least to a holding cell, for a period of time before your court date.

you may be able to get bail set and make it, but there is the chance the judge deems you a flight risk.

don't think that just because you have a good story about not knowing the weed was there that the cop will just say 'ok' and let you go. you will be taken in and booked if you're holding pounds. no questions. 1 in 10,000 chance you get lucky and run into a cop who just steals your stash (why people complain about cops stealing multi pounds and not charging them, i have no clue. Sure you'd miss out on a few K$, but I'd rather lose a few K than be in prison for years and not be able to get a decent job ever again.)

the rental car thing may help you out with deniability, but hope you can afford a great lawyer for a long trial (50k+ in retainer fees/stashed where dea/local cops won't take it when they bust you claiming 'drug $'.

have you searched legal sites for cases involving rental cars and multi pounds? I'm quite sure there've been more than a few cases like this since its not exactly a new idea to rent a car to transport.

 

[Papulz]

yeah, the amount of rental cars making their way from mid or so cal to nor cal in the autumn is pretty funny... minivan... minivan... econovan...

 

[SomeGuy]

Never consent to a search period.
Do everything you can to protect yourself BEFOREHAND, but if the cop REALLY wants to search you theres nothing you can do on the side of the road after you calmly and politely refuse consent.
All you can do is be a good citizen thats aware of your rights and if things don't go your way, ask questions, don't answer any and pay attention to every detail, then your lawyer will duke it out for you.

 

[Guest]

... Then he proceeds to ask to search the car.

If he has to ask for your permission, then he doesn't have probable cause. Your best bet would be a digital recorder and a microphone. Also, go meet with a few attorneys and get their business cards. If the police ask you anything, hand them a card and say something like, "all communications are to be routed through my attorney."

 

[FirstTracks]

If he has to ask for your permission, then he doesn't have probable cause. Your best bet would be a digital recorder and a microphone. Also, go meet with a few attorneys and get their business cards. If the police ask you anything, hand them a card and say something like, "all communications are to be routed through my attorney."

you definitely shouldn't say anything besides your name and basic reponses such as 'what am i being pulled over for', 'please tell me my rights in this situation', and 'am i free to go now officer?'

however, a dick response like the one quoted above will get you a dick response from the cop and you can bet your ass that you'll be held there til the nearest k9 unit gets there.

really, when travelling with goods and pulled over, be respectful, be concise, don't answer any questions other than identification related, and look clean cut.

other things:

.don't drive erratically
.don't drive between 10pm and 5am, try to drive during rush hour and blend with traffic.
.have your identification and registration easily accessible but not right there. you don't want to make it look like you're planning to get pulled over. however, know as soon as the cop pulls you over, he/she has probably started running your plates and knows your record once they're at you're window.
.if you have long hair, keep it tied back or under a conservatice hat
.wear conservative clothing (please, no tiedye or super baggy pants when transporting.
.make sure all lights on car are working, tires are fully inflated, back of car isn't sagging because too much weight in the trunk.

 

[whodi]

Do you all think a rental car is a bad idea period? Deciding what's best.. your own or rental...

 

[FirstTracks]

if your own car has residue, smoke or otherwise, rental is probably the way to go.

Know that in some cases, rental cars are targeted. from what i've read, this is mostly in north/south south/north transport across the US and north to south transport in CA in the fall.

Some areas, cops probably don't give them a second look.

know that if moving on a north south route carrying over long distances (between states) its best not to have plates from either departure or destination state. Rent one car, drop it offf halfway down, rent another, bring it down and back to halfway point, pick up old rental, take it back home.

not sure how much i'm allowed to discuss this....

MODS, delete this post if necessary

 

[Babbabud]

I was thinking you can tell the officer sure go ahead and search.. cause he might bring the drug dog in if you say no, right? Well if he does search by himself, or with a dog, and happens to find the MJ, couldn't you just say it's a rental car and you had no idea anything was in there? ANd then if he insists on hounding you, just shutup and get a lawyer if they arrest you?[/QUOTE]


Hehehehe what world are you living in ? IF they arrest you? Do you really think your going to talk your way out of anything once they find pounds of pot ? Best to just be quiet and get a lawyer cause you ARE on your way to jail.

 

[FreezerBoy]

As long as it's not mine, I'm happy.

Does your state do the forfeiture thing? The rental shop probably wouldn't get hit for theirs but you may forfeit your car if you use it. Useing a rental, I don't think they can then go to your home and take your car as well.

 

[devilgoob]

"You're going to need a search warrant and after you're going to need a lawyer as a result of lying about the smell. When they find no traces of marijuana in the vehicle, you really dont' want to be at risk of losing your job and on trial for perjury, would you?"

 

[UmphreyMcgee420]

I would rent a car with a trunk with nothing on your persons with nothing illegal except for in the trunk. If they ask to search the only thing to come out of your mouth should be, too many people have fought and died for me to give up my rights so easily. Ask if your free to go and you should be on your way.

That line has gotten me out of that question every time. Got it from my lawyer as well

 

[BiG H3rB Tr3E]

i mean honestly,,, i dont have any experience...but id have to guess by now many of the LEOs are pretyy well aware of peopel traveling long distances in rental cars...you need to buy yourself a honda or a toyota>>>a nice basic non obscure car that has a good mechainical history. blend in. dont have tint on your windows. dont have anything to draw attention. clean up your apperance. dont look like a person who would be even smoke weed.. but if i were you>>id get a service that you pay monthlys on to provide lawyer services,,,caus if your moving weight>>you better cover your ass. best luck brotha. be safe,,dont let greed imprison you. BhT

 

[FirstTracks]

As long as it's not mine, I'm happy.

Does your state do the forfeiture thing? The rental shop probably wouldn't get hit for theirs but you may forfeit your car if you use it. Useing a rental, I don't think they can then go to your home and take your car as well.

you really don't think they would say your house was a staging point and make you prove that you legitimately earned the money used to purchase your house and car?

It doesn't matter if you're in a rental car or not in that case, they'll bring up charges, even if they know they won't stick long term. remember who we're talking about here......

It'd be taken, then you'd have to fight for years to get it back (which wouldn't happen too easily because they would have auctioned it off already to make some quick money)

FB:not trying to dispute your every post man. much respect out to ya. Just don't want people getting wrong ideas about things.

 

[whodi]

I was thinking you can tell the officer sure go ahead and search.. cause he might bring the drug dog in if you say no, right? Well if he does search by himself, or with a dog, and happens to find the MJ, couldn't you just say it's a rental car and you had no idea anything was in there? ANd then if he insists on hounding you, just shutup and get a lawyer if they arrest you?[/QUOTE]


Hehehehe what world are you living in ? IF they arrest you? Do you really think your going to talk your way out of anything once they find pounds of pot ? Best to just be quiet and get a lawyer cause you ARE on your way to jail.

I meant use that as my allaby and in court... didn't really expect the cop to let me go, but i'd use that line to my defense

 

[Guest]

i mean honestly,,, i dont have any experience...but id have to guess by now many of the LEOs are pretyy well aware of peopel traveling long distances in rental cars...you need to buy yourself a honda or a toyota>>>a nice basic non obscure car that has a good mechainical history. blend in. dont have tint on your windows. dont have anything to draw attention. clean up your apperance. dont look like a person who would be even smoke weed.. but if i were you>>id get a service that you pay monthlys on to provide lawyer services,,,caus if your moving weight>>you better cover your ass. best luck brotha. be safe,,dont let greed imprison you. BhT

Yes yes! Pre-paid legal is very good advice. k+

 

[Guest]

you definitely shouldn't say anything besides your name and basic reponses such as 'what am i being pulled over for', 'please tell me my rights in this situation', and 'am i free to go now officer?'

however, a dick response like the one quoted above will get you a dick response from the cop and you can bet your ass that you'll be held there til the nearest k9 unit gets there.

Don't be scared; hostility arises from fear. They won't be worried unless they see you're afraid. Gotta have cajones to be driving around with weight anyway; I wouldn't expect you to understand.

 

[whodi]

k this is what i've gathered:

rental car: little more suspicious, but would have a better chance of getting the charges dropped if you claim it wasn't yours and didn't know about it. Not at risk of losing your own vehicle

personal car: easier to blend in if it looks like your average car, looks less suspicious since it's personal, but if caught with weight.. it's fair to say that your gonna be charged no matter what excuse you have, and you lose your vehicle.

I like the idea about dropping rental car off halfway.

Keep the tips, opinions, and ideas coming.