If an officer illegally searches a vehicle and finds drugs, what is this evidence classified as?

The classification of evidence found during an illegal search as "fruit of the poisonous tree" stems from a legal doctrine in criminal law. This doctrine holds that evidence obtained through illegal means—such as a violation of a person's Fourth Amendment rights—cannot be used in court. The term illustrates that just as fruit of a tree is affected by the health of the tree itself, any evidence derived from an unlawful search is tainted by the illegality of the search.

When an officer conducts a search without the necessary legal justification, such as probable cause or a warrant, any items or evidence discovered as a result of that search are generally inadmissible in court. The rationale behind this doctrine is to deter law enforcement from conducting unlawful searches and to uphold the integrity of the judicial system. Therefore, if drugs are found during an illegal search, they are considered the "fruit" of that unlawful action and are subsequently classified as such.

Other classifications of evidence, like admissible evidence, probable cause evidence, and constructive evidence, do not apply in the scenario where illegal means were employed to obtain the evidence. Admissible evidence must be obtained legally; probable cause is a standard required for lawful searches, and constructive evidence refers to indirect evidence that implies something without directly proving