I complain about civil forfeiture laws from time to time. United States Code 881(a)(6) grants the state the legal ability to sieze property that the owner can’t prove isn’t involved in a drug crime:
(a) Subject property
The following shall be subject to forfeiture to the United States and no property right shall exist in them:
[…]
(6) All moneys, negotiable instruments, securities, or other things of value furnished or intended to be furnished by any person in exchange for a controlled substance or listed chemical in violation of this subchapter, all proceeds traceable to such an exchange, and all moneys, negotiable instruments, and securities used or intended to be used to facilitate any violation of this subchapter.
Needless to say the state makes big money on stealing peoples’ shit:
The Justice Department’s asset forfeiture fund under President Obama is the largest it’s ever been, having grown from $500 million in 2003, to $1.8 billion in 2011, according to a new report from the GAO.
In addition to the fund’s size, payments from the fund to local law enforcement agencies totalled $445 million in 2011, another all-time high. These payouts are part of the DOJ’s “equitable sharing agreement,” which incentivizes local cops to conduct federal raids. They then get a portion of the assets seized during the raid (more money if they contribute more resources). That money is then used to finance SWAT and paramilitary training, as well as the acquisition of military grade weapons and equipment.
$1.8 billion of property were stolen by the state through these civil forfeiture laws in 2011. That’s nothing short of mind boggling.