Asset Forfeiture: ACLU Sues DEA Over Trucker's Seized Cash

Oh man, that story and the subsequent opinion musings of andymoon just made me change my whole outlook on whether or not drugs are bad for society!! Thanks andy!

 

This is worse than eminent domain. This is plainly a case of thinly disguised racial profiling leading to an unlawful seizure of property.

 

how do you know its racial? maybe the cop who searched him was the same race?

I can understand the suspicion with seeing a guy with that much cash, but after they searched and found no evidence of drugs then he should have been let go

 

If it were a $1,000, I'd agree. But carrying $23K with you and you're a truck driver? That doesn't make any sense.

 

But you cann't take away people's money based on it doesn't make sense. I know some Asians that keep all their savings under the bed, that doesn't make sense either. Government has to prove their is a crime before they can take people's money.

 

DEA doesn;t have to prove anything. They can also seize your house without a conviction. Welcome to the war on drugs.

 

and therefore its right to keep his money. if that's the kind of country you want to live in, I guess

 

but it is at the very least a little suspicious, odd, peculiar, etc. You have to at least admit that. That much cash should raise a red flag, he should have been checked out thoroughly. It just seems they took it too far in this instance

 

you're right, actually every cash transaction over ten thousand at least at a bank is reported to the irs. but he shouldn't lose his money, or at the very least, have to prove where he got it.

 

Exactly - the proof should be on the government to seize the money, not on the truck driver to keep his money.

 

yeah, if its all legit and his then he should keep his money.

 

I am not sure I buy the whole stashing money under the bed thing.

Anyway, certainly depends on many factors. Was the money in various bills, or was it all in 20's or whatever. I don't know the other circumstances that made them suspicious.

But I do think that if there's no evidence of him being involved in the drug trade or that is money is not associated with drugs, he should get his money back.

That being said, why would you carry your life savings in your truck across the border? What if he got robbed? It's just not secure and I don't buy it.

 

andymoon, how naive are you if you believe that stopthedrugwar.com is presenting you an accurate depiction of the events? I love it how some of you give law enforcement no credibility whatsoever and think they are all a bunch of racist thieves. How about supporting our men and women in uniform every once in a while, instead of automatically presuming they are sinister villains?

 

Well the point is. . . he don't have to have a reason
he doesn't [shouldn't] have to explain it to any one
its his money . . if he want to tape it to his stomach
its his money!

Rocket River
foolish should not be illegal

 

hmmm, I'm just not seeing how the DEA could not lose this case.

 

I agree.

I believe that a truck driver carrying $23k in cash certainly gives probable cause for a search. It is common for drug runners to carry large sums of cash and drive a truck to conduct their business.

If the government cannot garner sufficient evidence to support an indictment, they need to give the man his money back, tell him to have a nice day, and give him directions to the nearest bank.