When I was in college I lived in an apartment next to a drug dealer. While my then-boyfriend/now-husband was out of the country, some guys came by their apartment and beat up the guy and shot him in the ear (as he ran away) and held his pregnant girlfriend up at gunpoint and ran away right next to me, because I was outside walking my dog. After that ordeal, they moved but since they still had the lease, they moved their drug dealer friends in. A few months in someone shot into the apartment from the street. We weren't home but the bullet holes actually came in diagonally through our shared wall.
We know they were drug dealers because 1) a neighbor of ours bought from them and 2) the cops pretty much told us but they didn't arrest them bc you can't without proof. Like you said, this has nothing to do with doing drugs or legalization, but is about being near criminals who are consorting with other criminals.
For me, I would never bother trying to get them "caught". For one, it's unlikely you'll succeed. Two, you're just getting yourself more into that business. Lastly, I wouldn't want to piss of a potentially dangerous drug dealer.
What we did is move and that's actually my recommendation, especially if you aren't too attached to your house. I realize it's a lot of time and money but it isn't worth your family's safety. It was enough for us to move (and lose money doing so) when it was just me and SO but I would never EVER stay in that situation with a child. Nowadays, I live in a small tight-knit community with an overactive police force. Some people find it restrictive but I find it SAFE.
And better yet, why is failure to contact a lawyer a recurring mistake of Hacker News posters?
http://www.surveillance-spy-cameras.com/parabolic-ear.htm
IANAL, but I believe a conversation in a car out in the open on a public road may be ok. So if you hear "he was out of OG Kush, so I got some Skywalker instead", then at least you know for sure.
- You don't have solid evidence to back the claim that your neighbour is a drug dealer.
- If he is indeed a drug dealer, he probably wants not to attract attention and not to get in trouble, specially with people of where he lives.
I think, as long as he doesn't trouble you or your family, that you should live your life and let others live theirs.
Of course, if he ever menaces you or your family you should defend your family fiercely, but in the meantime if you care your own business he'll care his.
Overall, it's not unreasonable to worry about the police "raiding" the wrong house and/or the alleged meth-cook (or any of his alleged customers) ending up firing off a round that goes through the relatively thin walls of the common tract home.
I think the OPs knows he doesn't have solid evidence, I believe part of what he is trying to determine is how to go about this legally/properly.
Send me an email, my day job is with a very advanced security camera, I might have something interesting for you.