If you receive information about someone illegally selling prescription narcotics but cannot establish probable cause, what can you legally do with their garbage?

When it comes to dealing with potential evidence, the legal principle of abandonment applies. When individuals place their garbage out for collection, they effectively relinquish their expectation of privacy regarding that garbage. This means that once the garbage is accessible to the public—specifically when it is at the curb for pick-up—it can be collected and examined by law enforcement without needing a search warrant or probable cause.

By taking the garbage after it has been placed out for collection, law enforcement can legally analyze its contents to look for evidence of illegal activity, such as illegally sold prescription narcotics, without violating any Fourth Amendment rights. This practice has been upheld by case law, which acknowledges that once property is abandoned, its original owner no longer has reasonable expectations of privacy over it.

Establishing probable cause is indeed essential for actions like obtaining search warrants, but in this scenario, the facts suggest that the correct course of action hinges on accessing abandoned property rather than requiring a heightened legal standard or confronting the individuals involved. This is what makes taking the garbage once it's set out for pick-up the proper legal action in this situation.