'SNEAK AND PEEK' WARRANT ALLOWED U.S. AUTHORITIES TO MONITOR ILLEGAL TUNNEL

The U.S.A. Patriot Act made it possible for federal investigators to search
and bug a 110-metre tunnel under the U.S.-Canadian border, and then watch
and listen as hundreds of kilograms of marijuana were carried through it.

Government agents surreptitiously installed video and audio devices after
obtaining a "sneak and peek" warrant, which allows searches that leave no
trace and are conducted without immediate notification of the subject.

Regular search warrants require that the subject be notified immediately
after a search. Usually notice is left at the scene, with details about any
removal of items.

With a sneak-and-peek warrant -- also called a delayed-notice warrant --
investigators arrange the time line of the delay with a judge. Most often,
suspects are notified within 30 days, said Doug Whalley, an assistant U.S.
Attorney in Seattle. Some U.S. legislators and civil-rights groups want to
scale back some of the Patriot Act's powers.