TAMPA, Fla. — A decision by a Florida court could upend a major tactic for law enforcement to find potential crimes.

Appellate judges in the Second District now say the smell of marijuana isn't enough on its own to search anyone's car for illegal drugs and firearms. Criminal justice advocates praise the ruling, but the legal battle is far from over.

It's a case that started in Hillsborough County in 2023. Darrielle Williams was on probation, after serving more than a decade for attempted murder and was a passenger in a car when a deputy pulled it over for not making a complete stop. The deputy then said he smelled marijuana.

They found marijuana and opiates, and Williams went back to state prison, where he still is. But on appeal to Tampa Bay's second district, judges overturned his con

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