La Vergne, Tennessee is a small area outside of Nashville, and it is the scene of a felony drug arrest that could ruin a 54-year-old man's life.

He was arrested last week and hit with a litany of drug-related charges, including drug manufacturing, the sale of both schedule two and three narcotics, and maintain a dwelling with the purpose of distributing narcotics. The 54-year-old had has house raided by law enforcement, leading to the extensive list of accusations.

Not much is known about the 54-year-old, the circumstances of the arrest or the way the raid was handled. Did the police conduct a proper investigation before striking the 54-year-old's property? Did they secure a warrant? These are fair questions given the story two weeks back about a Tennessee man who was apparently forced into a cavity search despite police lacking a warrant.

Obviously, drug crimes are serious offenses and the violation of the law is unacceptable -- but only if law enforcement holds up its end of due process and conducts itself in a professional manner.

People who are accused or convicted of drug crimes have their lives changed forever. They can be turned down for jobs, rejected by landlords when searching for housing and are socially disgraced due to the serious nature of a criminal charge -- let alone the fines and jail time associated with such crimes.

That's why, guilty or not, a proper investigation must be conducted that upholds due process. With such delicate consequences and punishment at stake, people accused of drug crimes must be given a fair and unbiased trial, barring a plea agreement.

Source: NewsChannel 5, "Felony Drug Arrest Made In LaVergne," June 15, 2012