[Gordon Pym]

Honestly, who carries 22 thousand bucks in cash with them? Think about it. You’re selling your car for $20,000. A guy from out of state shows up at your door and says, “Ok, here’s $20,000 in cash.” Bet ya dollars to donuts you’d think something was fishy.

Real estate auctions usually require a buy in price of several thousand dollars. Cash may not be common at those auctions but not uncommon. Some cash businesses will make that much in a weekend and regularly transport it to their bank

[HiTech RedNeck]

IIRC the late Congressman Henry Hyde shepherded through some reforms which significantly raised the bar for such seizures. If the person is not of interest as a fleeing felon, the state must now show in court with “clear and convincing evidence” (the highest that can be asked by a civil court) that the seized property was illicit before it can be kept. That would seem to free up most money if there is even a shabby excuse for its presence. Vague news articles are less than helpful here.

[Rebelbase]

Back in the 80’s when I was selling real estate we had a guy pay us $80,000 cash for a property we brokered. He wanted to get the money into our account and brought in a grocery sack of $5’s,$10’s and $20’s. Took two of us over an hour to count it all.