DEA, Amtrak, and Civil-Asset Forfeiture - The Atlantic

I have been reading a series (by David Downing - see reviews below) about an American journalist living in Germany during the runup to WW 2 and before the U.S. entered the war. The scenes described in this article reminded me of scenes from the book describing the Gestapo's actions.

There have also been way too many examples of the drugs laws being used indiscriminately to enrich the DEA coffers (not to mention the pockets of individual law enforcement officers as in the case described in this article).

See also this article in the New Yorker

I have no problem with seizing the  assets of anyone convicted of a racketeering crime, but to take things without even being charged with a crime is horrible.

"Under civil forfeiture, Americans who haven’t been charged with wrongdoing can be stripped of their cash, cars, and even homes. Is that all we’re losing?"

'via Blog this'