DEA Out Of Control Seizing "Assets"

[idiit]

the system is now seizing the bank accounts of anyone dealing in cash; cash bank deposits, cash withdrawls.

What Mr McClellan did not know was that it was against the law to make cash deposits of less than $10,000

Banks are legally obligated to report any deposit of more than $10,000 to the U.S. Treasury Department. But if an individual makes several cash deposits of less than $10,000 over an unspecified period of time that total more than $10,000, then he is presumed to be a money launderer or drug trafficker

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=254724&page=52

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-05-16/war-cash-destroys-small-entrepreneur

 

[Betterhaff]

Drug cops took a college kid's savings and now 13 police departments want a cut

Drug cops took a college kid's savings and now 13 police departments want a cut

I saw this story on the net. The breakdown on the distribution of the seized cash is disgusting. And all charges were dropped.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...ngs-and-now-13-police-departments-want-a-cut/

 

[Babbabud]

Just for the record ... the DEA has always been out of control ... whether under our current president or any other .

 

[Ready4]

The DEA is surely a 100% useless govt agency who has never achieved anything but millions of arrests and stealing billions/trillions of dollars. All drugs are available in all of our major cities and many of our minor.

That being said...... the original story " enterprising businessman from Detroit" is total laughable bs. Anybody that would believe that lame story of "having a dream of starting a music video company" is a fool. Its not that Rivers was stupid or anything to do with smart vs stupid - it is a ridiculous bs excuse as there was no realistic way to start such a music video company with a mere $16,000. And taking a bus to do such a fictional adventure. ???? I am calling total bs, it makes absolutely zero sense when you actually think about it.
Such a story may get some sympathy from friends or family but such a lame cover story will never get any cash back. No question at all that he was going to score and return to do some business back in the D. Cannot blame his desire to make some $$$ but his plan did not work and his cash got grabbed. People have been using this method for years, you are much better off in your own vehicle.

 

[Lester Beans]

Fuck that noise, first thing learn your rights, second be thankful for the good folk who have given their lives over the years fighting for those rights, third excerise your rights!

To many people do not understand theirs rights or do not have the balls to stand up to law enforcement. End result is they take more and more...

They need to meet some motherfucking RESISTANCE. Not violence, that benefits them. They need to be exposed and challenged in court, repeatedly. Until they are forced to operate in transparent mode.

Remember, we pay their salaries. Reject being bullied by the help.

 

[aridbud]

This guy hopefully retained good counsel.

From Wikipedia:

New Mexico Government took $800,000 from a used car dealer in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and held his money for many months before giving it back, but the seizure had an adverse effect on his business and on the owner's health.[21] In 2015, New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez signed a bill into law making Civil Forfeiture illegal in New Mexico.[33]
***scroll down 2/3's of article. "Standards of proof in state forfeiture laws" for graph.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_forfeiture_in_the_United_States

 

[the gnome]

what they did was absolutely wrong..

BUT

This is one of many reasons why u should not take a train,, or any form of public transportation, while holding your life savings...

Rent a vehicle for h sakes.buy a car,, something,, shit...

actually you are safer but not immune to having your cash ripped from you. local law enforcement can and has taken monies from people citing civil asset forfeiture laws.

this is hiway fuggin robbery plain and simple.

 

[stoned-trout]

Just for the record ... the DEA has always been out of control ... whether under our current president or any other .

ya that..when they can take your shit and do whatever they want before even a conviction ...makes you think WHO REALLY IS THE BAD GUY ???...what rights???..I have seen it a few times...yeehaw...SOUNDS ALOT LIKE ORGANISED CRIME TO ME....

 

[aridbud]

How to keep the DEA from taking all your cash 5/14/15 By Christopher Ingraham

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...ow-to-keep-the-dea-from-taking-all-your-cash/

Joseph Rivers was never convicted of a crime. He was never charged with one, or even officially detained. But that didn't stop the Drug Enforcement Administration from taking his life savings away under civil asset forfeiture, the highly controversial practice that allows law enforcement officers to take property from people whom they never even charge with a crime.

I spoke with Rivers's attorney, Michael Pancer of San Diego, about the case yesterday. He said the situation Rivers got caught up in -- where federal agents boarded a train and started asking people questions like "who are you?" and "where are you going?" -- is a lot more common than you might expect. "Their purpose is to try to find money to seize or find evidence of criminal activity," he told me. "That's why they do it. But I think the main purpose is to try to find money."

Many law-abiding citizens may not be worried about civil forfeiture laws, because why would police target you if you haven't committed a crime? But when it comes to civil asset forfeiture, it doesn't matter whether you commit a crime or not. If you exhibit certain types of behavior that law enforcement officers deem "suspicious" -- a broad category encompassing everything from having empty energy drink cans in your car to buying a one-way train ticket with cash -- they can use that as a basis for a determination that property you own was obtained through illegal means.

In last year's Washington Post investigation of highway asset forfeitures, experts outlined the contours of law governing these encounters. In a similar spirit, here's what experts say about how the law works in situations like the one Joseph Rivers found himself in.

You should probably identify yourself -- but you don't need to do much more than that.

Pancer says there's some argument over whether you even have to identify yourself if a law enforcement official asks you your name on a train or bus. In some states this is required by law, and in others it's not, according to the ACLU. But it wouldn't hurt to do so just to be safe. Beyond that, you're under no obligation to tell them anything. Not where you're from, where you're going or why you're going there. You don't have to say how you purchased your ticket, or whether it was one-way or not.

"You have the right to remain silent," as they say -- especially if a law enforcement officer just wants to chat.

You don't need to agree to a search.

Joseph Rivers answered the DEA agents' questions. When they didn't like what he said, they asked his permission to search his belongings. He gave it to them, but he didn't have to.

If police ask for one of these "consensual searches," you're under no obligation to give consent. You might get some pushback from the officers. They might threaten to detain you, or to obtain a warrant. But in order to do that they'd need probable cause -- and if you're abiding by the law, and you haven't said anything to them, they have no probable cause to work from.

"It's almost a cliche that a lawyer always tells his client don't cooperate, don't talk," Pancer said. "This is a concrete reason we give that advice."

Be calm, be polite and don't physically resist.

If a police officer attempts to search you without consent or probable cause, that search is illegal. But you won't do yourself any favors by yelling at the officer, or by physically resisting them. It's not up to you to determine whether or not a search is illegal, or whether there was sufficient probable cause -- if things get to that point, the courts will have to sort it out.

Pancer says that when the DEA agents were taking Joseph Rivers's money away, a number of other passengers who witnessed it became upset. "One witness tried to question the agents and was threatened with arrest," Pancer told me.

If you're observing a police encounter like this in public, you can film it.

Cellphone cameras have fundamentally changed the relationship between police and the communities they serve. Where before it was the cops' word against yours, now it's relatively easy for eyewitnesses to produce video evidence of police encounters.

"When in public spaces where you are lawfully present you have the right to photograph anything that is in plain view," according to the ACLU. "That includes pictures of federal buildings, transportation facilities and police."

Just don't interfere with the police -- then they may be legally allowed to demand you stop filming.

Pancer told me that there may be a silver lining to Rivers's case. "An L.A. talent manager from Detroit, who manages talent in the music video world, read about this story and felt very badly for Joseph. They're in touch now, and he may get some work out of it."

 

[_tessarecting]

Can someone explain the empty energy drink can thing? I don't get it.

Great ending to that article!

 

[floralheart]

ever read about china's opium wars?

Opium Wars

Opium Wars, 1839–42 and 1856–60, two wars between China and Western countries. The first was between Great Britain and China. Early in the 19th cent., British merchants began smuggling opium into China in order to balance their purchases of tea for export to Britain. In 1839, China enforced its prohibitions on the importation of opium by destroying at Guangzhou (Canton) a large quantity of opium confiscated from British merchants. Great Britain, which had been looking to end China's restrictions on foreign trade, responded by sending gunboats to attack several Chinese coastal cities. China, unable to withstand modern arms, was defeated and forced to sign the Treaty of Nanjing (1842) and the British Supplementary Treaty of the Bogue (1843). These provided that the ports of Guangzhou, Jinmen, Fuzhou, Ningbo, and Shanghai should be open to British trade and residence; in addition Hong Kong was ceded to the British. Within a few years other Western powers signed similar treaties with China and received commercial and residential privileges, and the Western domination of China's treaty ports began. In 1856 a second war broke out following an allegedly illegal Chinese search of a British-registered ship, the Arrow, in Guangzhou. British and French troops took Guangzhou and Tianjin and compelled the Chinese to accept the treaties of Tianjin (1858), to which France, Russia, and the United States were also party. China agreed to open 11 more ports, permit foreign legations in Beijing, sanction Christian missionary activity, and legalize the import of opium. China's subsequent attempt to block the entry of diplomats into Beijing as well as Britain's determination to enforce the new treaty terms led to a renewal of the war in 1859. This time the British and French occupied Beijing and burned the imperial summer palace (Yuan ming yuan). The Beijing conventions of 1860, by which China was forced to reaffirm the terms of the Treaty of Tianjin and make additional concessions, concluded the hostilities.


Read more: Opium Wars http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/history/opium-wars.html#ixzz3ZwG3Guss

this is pecisely what the british are doing now to americans. saturate with drugs and disable the populations with the ancillary measures like prison and asset forfeiture.

pharmaceutical companies have inundated the states with opiates, are now guiding legislation towards legality of cannabis and cannabinoids, all the while providing income for major corporate interests in the prison-industrial complex and law enforcement.

William Huntington Russell, founder of the Republican party, cousin of the Captain who help lead the way in smuggling in China, for the benefit of Britain.

I've got his picture on my wall back at home.

 

[aridbud]

Can someone explain the empty energy drink can thing? I don't get it.

Great ending to that article!

I cannot understand that statement either. Read the article two times before posting. Does being "amped up" create causation for DEA?

Glad to see this fellow has legal representation. And the good will of good folk helping him, as well. Sure want to see thumb tacks through nail beds (finger or toe) concerning the injustice of DEA and random searches - i.e.: profiling.

 

[aridbud]

Suit filed against man at center of Albuquerque DEA seizure case

Suit filed against man at center of Albuquerque DEA seizure case

Emily Younger
Published: <TIME class="entry-date published" datetime="2015-07-29T17:41:24+00:00">July 29, 2015, 5:41 pm</TIME> Updated: <TIME class=updated datetime="2015-07-29T18:30:21+00:00">July 29, 2015, 6:30 pm</TIME>
ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE)

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has filed a civil suit explaining why Joseph Rivers, an aspiring musician who had $16,000 confiscated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, should not get his money back.
“Basically, I was relieved of all of my money with no criminal charges, without any reasoning,” said Joseph Rivers in an online video.
Rivers, 22, was traveling by train from Detroit to Los Angeles in April with $16,000 in cash.
His train made a pit stop in Albuquerque. While there, DEA agents searched his bags and confiscated all of his cash claiming it was drug money.
“My whole dream has basically been put on ice right now. It’s been put on hold until I can get the funds again,” said Rivers.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a civil suit in federal court. It explained what happened the day the DEA seized Rivers money and why he should not get it back.
It points out Rivers’ lengthy criminal history.
According to court documents, Rivers has been arrested at least four times since 2010 for drugs.
He spent two years in jail and online records show he was arrested July 26, 2015 again for drugs.
The suit said after a felony drug charge in March of 2015, narcotics officers in Michigan executed a search warrant for Rivers’ phone.
In the phone, officials said they found more than 120 text messages from people referencing or trying to buy illegal drugs from Rivers.
The suit also claims Rivers had traveled to California in the past to purchase illegal drugs for re-sale in Michigan.
The DEA in Albuquerque said it’s drug dog sniffed out an illegal substance odor on Rivers’ money after they seized it.
Rivers has not been charged in this case.
His attorney would not comment.
Since the seizure, Rivers has raised about $7,000 on his gofundme page.
Read the criminal complaint here»

This guy has a hefty rap sheet!!! Figured there was more to this story than what was first reported. Now DEA filing law suit.

 

[paper thorn]

i guess they used examples of minorities and not white guys to gain sympathy from the left?

i would bet a dollar that here are a shit ton more white guys who get their cash stolen, but just doesn't make the news cut.

anyway, what's this line from some cop saying that this makes them the new 'robin hoods'?

more like the new sheriffs of nottingham.

 

[aridbud]

@ paper-
Actually, it's fairly common to have DEA agents board the Amtrak train in Albuquerque, NM and Flagstaff, AZ in search of controlled substances, large amounts of cash, having dogs at certain rail stations. That's been ongoing for decades. I can only attest as I'm originally from this area, read about it or see on local news.

It's not a race thing at all. Reading about pot being seized (more than money), there's no profiling. Never took a tally- people have been stopped/investigated of all ethnic persuasions,if acting suspicious or dogs sniffed luggage.

This guy had the audacity to post on Facebook....causing more strife and attention for him. And his money smelled of something other than money (DUMB!). Betcha "white guys" don't do that(post on Facebook)...they just get arraigned and don't make the news other than preliminary forfeitures, fading into oblivion...not post on Facebook, cause undue exposure.

There have been a few seizures in La Junta and Trinidad, CO, too....CO pot headed east or west along the SW Chief Amtrak route. That'll likely continue.

Route 66/I-40 has long been a gateway thoroughfare for seizures as well. Knew someone taking 600 lbs. back east and popped in Missouri (broken tail light).

 

[armedoldhippy]

"and his money smelled of something other than money..." according to an article that i read a while back, an incredible % of twenties, fifties, and hundred dollar bills have, at one time or another, been rolled into a tube & used to snort cocaine with. there is probably not a cash drawer in a store in this whole fucking continent that a trained drug-sniffing dog would not alert on. i wonder when they will start hitting banks using this MO...

 

[aridbud]

Shall be interesting to see if the DEA prevails.

 

[armedoldhippy]

Shall be interesting to see if the DEA prevails.

don't you watch the movies? the bad guy ALWAYS loses in the end. unfortunately, sometimes the hero dies first. that is what being a martyr is all about... hey, isn't an unpollinated sensi plant technically a virgin? 72 of them, huh...?

 

[J.A.Grower]

Not gonna lie,, I don't even try to understand the law..
People just need to start using more common sense..all I was getting at..People are getting away with moving huge dope,, huge cash..whatever.. only people getting it confiscated are the slow ones in the herd...

not true.... the people who move lots of buds.. like 100s or 1000s of LBS.. those people have shell companies and shit to launder the proceeds into.. meaning its not as illegal money.. meaning they can actually store it in the bank!.. the little guy cant afford to take the hit of money laundering because in reality you don't get what u put in. and in reality. most of us are STILL JUST TRYING TO GET BY LOL.

lol..

 

[JohnKimble]

The dea the most ineffective and corrupt of all the ineffective and corrupt government institutions...
This country is so fucked

Their seizing of money without evidence is just another racket as the black hand or mafia.