People v. Hanlon

These appeals involve two distinct factual situations. Since these defendants challenge the sufficiency of affidavits submitted in support of applications for search warrants, the appeals will be considered together. Our focus rests essentially on the troublesome issue of whether information supplied by undisclosed informants, which is recited in the supporting affidavit, constitutes probable cause so as to justify the issuance of a search warrant.

In the first case the defendant Hanlon was indicted for criminal possession of marijuana (Penal Law, § 220.05), possession of a weapon as a…