Police suspected that a man named Felix Booker was concealing contraband inside his body. They arrested him on a drug charge and later, against his will, a doctor paralyzed him for eight minutes to take a look.

The doctor found a piece of rock cocaine, a little more than five grams’ worth, in Booker's rectum. At trial, Booker was convicted on a federal drug charge—possession with intent to distribute—and sentenced to five years in prison.