In their zeal to arrest those who are allegedly involved in the illegal drug business, police may sometimes skip a few steps and obtain a search warrant based solely on an anonymous tip. A neighbor may report “suspicious activity,” or, in some cases, the anonymous tip is simply a way to “get back at” someone for a real or imagined slight.
Officers may use these unverified calls to support a search warrant request in drug investigations; however, if there is no corroboration, the warrant may be invalid, and the evidence may be suppressible. Anonymous tips are among the weakest forms of probable cause and are heavily scrutinized in Illinois courts under the Aguilar-Spinelli/Gates totality-of-the-circumstances test.
If your drug arrest was based solely on a search warrant that considered an anonymous tip “probable cause,” speaking to an experienced DuPage County, IL criminal defense attorney gives you a much better chance at a positive outcome. Drug charges in Illinois can carry severe penalties, so you need an attorney who will aggressively fight for your future.