Production of business records and documents; investigations of felony violations; copy costs; return of documents; liability for compliance; sealed applications; offense for disclosures; penalties.

Miss. Code Ann. § 41-29-187
in effect
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Attorneys for the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, by and through the Director of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, are authorized to seek judicial subpoenas to require any person, firm or corporation in the State of Mississippi to produce for inspection and copying business records and other documents which are relevant to the investigation of any felony violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Law of the State of Mississippi. The production of the designated documents shall be at the location of the named person’s, firm’s or corporation’s principal place of business, residence or other place at which the person, firm or corporation agrees to produce the documents. The cost of reproducing the documents shall be borne by the bureau at prevailing rates. At the conclusion of the investigation and any related judicial proceedings, the person, firm or corporation from whom the records or documents were subpoenaed shall, upon written request, be entitled to the return or destruction of all copies remaining in the possession of the bureau. The bureau is authorized to make an ex parte and in camera application to the county or circuit court of the county in which such person, firm or corporation resides or has his principal place of business, or if the person, firm or corporation is absent or a nonresident of the State of Mississippi, to the county or circuit court of Hinds County. On application of the county or circuit court, a subpoena duces tecum shall be issued only upon a showing of probable cause that the documents sought are relevant to the investigation of a felony violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Law or may reasonably lead to the discovery of such relevant evidence. Nothing contained in this section shall affect the right of a person to assert a claim that the information sought is privileged by law. Such application to the court shall be in writing and accompanied by a sworn affidavit from an agent of the Bureau of Narcotics which sets forth facts which the court shall consider in determining that probable cause exists. Any person, firm or corporation complying in good faith with a judicial subpoena issued pursuant to this section shall not be liable to any other person, firm or corporation for damages caused in whole or in part by such compliance. Documents in the possession of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics gathered pursuant to the provisions of this section and subpoenas issued by the court shall be maintained in confidential files with access limited to prosecutorial and other law enforcement investigative personnel on a “need to know” basis and shall be exempt from the provisions of the Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983, except that upon the filing of an indictment or information, or upon the filing of an action for forfeiture or recovery of property, funds or fines, such documents shall be subject to such disclosure as may be required pursuant to the applicable statutes or court rules governing the trial of any such judicial proceeding. The circuit or county judge shall seal each application and affidavit filed and each subpoena issued after service of said subpoena. The application, affidavit and subpoena may not be disclosed except in the course of a judicial proceeding. Any unauthorized disclosure of a sealed subpoena, application or affidavit shall be punishable as contempt of court. No person, including the Director of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, an agent or member of his staff, prosecuting attorney, law enforcement officer, witness, court reporter, attorney or other person, shall disclose to an unauthorized person documents gathered by the bureau pursuant to the provisions of this section, nor investigative demands and subpoenas issued and served, except that upon the filing of an indictment or information, or upon the filing of an action for forfeiture or recovery of property, funds or fines, or in other legal proceedings, the documents shall be subject to such disclosure as may be required pursuant to applicable statutes and court rules governing the trial of any such judicial proceeding. In the event of an unauthorized disclosure of any such documents gathered by the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics pursuant to the provisions of this section, the person making any such unauthorized disclosure shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of not more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), or imprisonment of not more than six (6) months, or by both such fine and imprisonment. No person, agent or employee upon whom a subpoena is served pursuant to this section shall disclose the existence of said subpoena or the existence of the investigation to any person unless such disclosure is necessary for compliance with the subpoena. Any person who willfully violates this subsection shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and may be confined in the county jail, for a period not to exceed one (1) year, or fined not more than Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00), or both.

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