Likewise, if a cable installer or plumber paid by the police enters your home, could they legally search it? Obviously not.

But there's still confusion in the courts about the difference between physical and virtual property and the peoples' rights to escape search (using radar through walls or taps on data feeds). This malign overreach of prosecutors relies on that.

But I think this practice clearly crosses the line since the property is physically in the hands of an untrusted party. It'd be trivial for Joe Schmo at Best Buy to plant evidence. Because that possibility is so plausible, this chain of evidence has been compromised. Any appeals court would toss this practice as unlawful, IMHO.