Officers find $400,000 hidden in SUV tailgate

Star-Telegram ^ | Sep. 14, 2002 | Jack Douglas Jr.

[Cultural Jihad]

ARE WE NOW GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT?

Not at all. A court of law will determine whether the accused are guilty or not. If they are innocent then they will have their personal property returned promptly.

[CurlyDave]

Just when did "possesion of money" become illegal?

[Trailerpark Badass]

If they are innocent then they will have their personal property returned promptly.

Guess again.

[CurlyDave]

Why does illicit drug $$$ smell different?

Very often it is tainted by drug residue, which the dogs can then detect.

This is completely bogus. There is detectable cocaine on almost every bill in the US.

[Cultural Jihad]

Just when did "possesion of money" become illegal?

When did racketeering and money-laundering become illegal, too?

[cryptical]

Not at all. A court of law will determine whether the accused are guilty or not. If they are innocent then they will have their personal property returned promptly.

I hope that's sarcasm. The drivers probably won't be charged, the money will go through forfeiture, and the Feds and Locals will all get their cuts. It's the modern day highwayman in action.

[Teacher317]

A court of law will determine whether the accused are guilty or not. If they are innocent then they will have their personal property returned promptly.

You contradict yourself. The presumption had to be guilt, or the property would not be taken (and would not need returning in the case of being found innocent).

[Cultural Jihad]

You call it "property" while the law views it as "evidence."

[Cultural Jihad]

Apparently, trace amounts of cocaine are found on 4 out of every 5 bills, based on the fact that it is so fine a mill that it easily lands on and contaminates otherwise pure money, this from money counting machines and ATMs. Hence I would defer to your argument that a trained dog while finding hidden money cannot ascertain that the money was used in drug dealing. But then dogs are not usually the ones wearing judicial robes or sitting in jury boxes, and the cross-contamination of money doesn't excuse the laundering of $400,000 dollars which the owner cannot legally account for.

[sarasmom]

Verifiable source? Links? Proof?

[dogbyte12]

Did you even have your television on on 9/11?

Yes, Mohammed Atta and crew were all drug dealers with lots of cash. Too bad we didn't pull everybody over and catch them that way. Sigh. When will we ever learn?

[sarasmom]

Re your #17.

jJust out of curiosity, what was the time and location of your "its the princable" stanse? I just want to make sure you were not the reason my former husband died because the "thin blue line" was overstretched on that particular night, and were unable to commit urgently needed assets to save his life.

Actions=consequences.Glad you had fun with your spare time.If not my nightmare, I am certain a thorough investigation would show you contributed to someone else's.Pat yourself on the back!

[Dinsdale]

He was a traffic patrol CHP.

They don't do regular police work. Just traffic stops.

He would have been harrasing others if I did'nt tie him up.

BTW he was wasting his time harrasing me. I just made it take more time. You want to complain, complain about cops not persuing real crime.

[Dinsdale]

BTW what are fourth ammendment rights good for if nobody stands on them?

[vikzilla]

We had a case like this just the other day. Lady was found with 175k in wheel wells of a brand new Ford truck. She said she had no idea how it got there.

She was allowed to sign over any rights to the money and the truck, and then just let go.

It sure seems like an easy way to bribe you way out of trouble.

[sarasmom]

The question I asked was time, date, location.

Skip an element if you feel the need, but two out of three would ease my mind, protect your privacy, and answer the basic question I asked of you.

[templar]

A court of law will determine whether the accused are guilty or not. If they are innocent then they will have their personal property returned promptly.

The article didn't mention that they had been charged with anything. They probably haven't been, and won't be, be charged with anything. Any charges brought under property forfeiture laws ar usually in the form of 'State vs. $400,000.00 in cash' or a similar case name. You will have to go to court and prove that the cash or other propertyis innocent of criminal involvement in order to have it returned.

Proving that confiscated property, particularly cash, is innocent of criminal involvement is almost impossible. There are usually impossible to overcome obstacles involved (such as posting the full claimed value of the property in cash bond), long drawn out legal proceedings that end up costing more than the value of the property if you manage to win, and impossible standards of proof of innocence.

In short, if a cop stops you on the street, finds you with cash, takes the cash (even fifty or a hundred bucks sometimes), you can just kisss it goodbye. Honest citizens have no business being in possession of large amounts of cash (and 50 or 100 is a large amount in some circumstances, like if you are black) and the money is presumed guilty until proven innocent.

[Cultural Jihad]

Interesting points to consider. Biometric implants will make the whole issue moot in the near future. Paper money will go the way of clam shells and wampum. Biometrics has the potential to bring unprecedented freedom in its wake, which we shouldn't dismiss out of hand from irrational fears.

[templar]

The American President at the time, Bill Clinton, ... Thus Mohammad Atta was freed and eventually thanked the US by flying an airplane into Tower One of the World Trade Center.

Somehow, I just knew this would end up with Clintons direct involvemement at some point in the chronology of it all.