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Thursday, April 28, 2016

Not Drug Money, Just Christian Cash for Orphans

We’ve previously noted how the practice of civil asset forfeiture needs serious reform because it’s little more than an unconstitutional windfall for law enforcement. Jason Snead of the Heritage Foundation defines forfeiture as “a policy that enables law enforcement authorities to seize property or currency if they suspect it is involved in, or is the result of, a crime.” With that, we now offer the latest entry in the annals of “justice.”

A 40-year-old Texas man was pulled over in Oklahoma for driving with a busted tail light. Police dogs alerted deputies to a stash of cash (which often bears trace amounts of drugs), so law enforcement escorted the man to the station for further questioning. The man, a refugee from Burma who became a U.S. citizen more than a decade ago, speaks English as a second language, so communication with the deputies wasn’t always clear, but officers found no evidence of any crime — except the mere possession of $53,249 in cash. So they took all of it, marking the receipt “Possession of drug proceeds.” They then let him go, busted tail light and all, though five weeks later, he was finally charged with a felony: “acquir[ing] proceeds from drug activity.”

The worst part is that the cash was earned by a Christian band, of which the Texas man was a part, and the majority of it was earmarked for a religious college in Burma and an orphanage in Thailand. No drugs, just music and charity.

More here

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just heard IRETON is running again for mayor in 2 yrs he said it in a bar last Tuesday.

Anonymous said...

Pigs will fly if he gets elected dog catcher.,

but onto the subject at hand.if you vote for hillary or cruz expect more similair violations of our god given rights. Police in these cases are no better then getto thug scum.

Anonymous said...

WTH are you fools babbling about. Nothing to do with the subject of civil forfeiture.

Anonymous said...

Civil forfeiture laws are ridiculous.

lmclain said...

I tell you and you think "it can never happen here, or to ME".
THEY decide who is right and who is wrong.
Sooner or later they will get around to YOU.
Keep cheering.

Anonymous said...

Defend yourselves LE. Tell us why this is the America you're supposed to protect and defend.
Excuse me while I go puke.

Anonymous said...

Just one more story of the judicial system and LE 'interpreting' the law. They are masters of interpreting laws to their benefit, folks.
A perfect example is someone, over .08 BAC, sitting in their car in a saloon's parking lot and running the engine to stay warm while they sober up. Not one, let me stress NONE, of the Legislature wrote this in the DUI laws., it's all been 'interpreted' by our judges and LE that I 'have control' of the vehicle and am guilty of DUI w/o moving that vehicle one GD inch or even entertaining the thought to do so.
This is the state of law in America now. Legislature writes and votes a law then the judicial system and LE re-write and 'interpret' it to suit themselves.