California v. Acevedo
United States Supreme Court
500 U.S. 565 (1991)
Police, already having probable cause that a package contained marijuana, watched Acevedo (defendant) leave a house carrying a similarly sized bag, place it in his car trunk, and drive off; they stopped him, opened the trunk and the bag without a warrant, and found marijuana. California's court of appeals held the search unconstitutional, reasoning the automobile exception applied only when probable cause concerned the car itself, not merely a specific container inside it, and the state sought Supreme Court review.
Whether the Fourth Amendment permits a warrantless search of a specific container placed in a vehicle when police have probable cause that the container, though not necessarily the vehicle itself, contains contraband.