DOJ finds a nut

[glhs837]

Justice Department Stops DEA’s Airport Searches After $3.2 Billion Seized From Passengers Without Charges - View from the Wing

The Justice Department has halted the DEA's airport searches after a report revealed over $3.2 billion in cash was seized from passengers without charges over a decade, citing abuses, improper targeting, and likely constitutional rights violations.

viewfromthewing.com

 

[Czar]

$3.2 in cash out of wallets. That's a lot of unmarried men.

 

[TPD]

Justice Department Stops DEA’s Airport Searches After $3.2 Billion Seized From Passengers Without Charges - View from the Wing

The Justice Department has halted the DEA's airport searches after a report revealed over $3.2 billion in cash was seized from passengers without charges over a decade, citing abuses, improper targeting, and likely constitutional rights violations.

viewfromthewing.com

I’ve seen one or two YouTube videos of average citizens falling into this DEA trap and am surprised they have gotten away with it for this long. Now let’s go after the illegal cash seizures during traffic stops.

 

[Hijinx]

So who got the $3.2 Billion dollars/
Where did it go.

I went to see the Statue of Liberty. I walked about a half a mile to get to the place where they load the boat.
I had a small pocket knife which they told me I could not keep.
I wasn't about to walk all the way back to the car so I just let it there with them.
What do they do with all of those pocket knives that people leave behind?
$3.2 Billion with a B in cash went somewhere.

 

[vraiblonde]

Ultimately it’s important to know that even though it is your right, it’s a good idea not to carry large amounts of cash with you at the airport. It’s subject to confiscation. And if you’re carrying more than $10,000 out of the United States, you need to register that with the government – not just with the country you’re carrying it into.

Okay, let's get real:

Who carries that kind of cash on them? People engaged in cash-based illegal activity, that's who. Normal people may have a couple hundred cash on them, but not thousands. Not just at the airport, but everywhere. Forget the DEA confiscation part, that's a great way to get robbed by the local talent.

Seriously, draw me a picture of someone who would be carrying large amounts of cash (at the airport, no less) who is on the up and up. I'm willing to change my mind, but I'm not willing to mindlessly jump on a "Oh, these agents are evil!" bandwagon. Government sucks enough, we don't have to make things up.

 

[terbear1225]

Okay, let's get real:

Who carries that kind of cash on them? People engaged in cash-based illegal activity, that's who. Normal people may have a couple hundred cash on them, but not thousands. Not just at the airport, but everywhere. Forget the DEA confiscation part, that's a great way to get robbed by the local talent.

Seriously, draw me a picture of someone who would be carrying large amounts of cash (at the airport, no less) who is on the up and up. I'm willing to change my mind, but I'm not willing to mindlessly jump on a "Oh, these agents are evil!" bandwagon. Government sucks enough, we don't have to make things up.

I occasionally lead largish group tours where tip money for our tour guide are collected in advance. That means I am sometimes carried close to $1000 in cash when flying internationally. I know people with larger groups that can have $2000 or more.

To be fair, it's normally pretty obvious when these groups are going through security so should be pretty easy to explain the amount being carried.

 

[kwillia]

Vrai… that is the total amount for those without charges. That means an American citizen who has not broken any law or give cause for arrest and charges. They do it to bank accounts too. They have no accountability and their is no mechanism for people to get their money back.

 

[vraiblonde]

Vrai… that is the total amount for those without charges. That means an American citizen who has not broken any law or give cause for arrest and charges. They do it to bank accounts too. They have no accountability and their is no mechanism for people to get their money back.

That clearly is the real problem. If a baggage handler steals your stuff, they get fired and prosecuted. So how can DEA agents just shake down random passengers without cause?

I feel like there's something I'm missing here. It's hard to believe they can just do that, and if they can you'd think they'd do it to everyone. I've never had a cop empty my wallet and just take the money, at an airport or anywhere. I don't even know anyone that's happened to.

 

[vraiblonde]

I occasionally lead largish group tours where tip money for our tour guide are collected in advance. That means I am sometimes carried close to $1000 in cash when flying internationally. I know people with larger groups that can have $2000 or more.

Have you ever had DEA or some other LE agent steal it from you?

That's a real question. Like I said, I'm willing to change my mind with real world examples and not just some blogger's word for it.

 

[kwillia]

That clearly is the real problem. If a baggage handler steals your stuff, they get fired and prosecuted. So how can DEA agents just shake down random passengers without cause?

I feel like there's something I'm missing here. It's hard to believe they can just do that, and if they can you'd think they'd do it to everyone. I've never had a cop empty my wallet and just take the money, at an airport or anywhere. I don't even know anyone that's happened to.

It happens often.

 

[Clem72]

Have you ever had DEA or some other LE agent steal it from you?

I've had maybe 6 interactions with the police in my 6 decades of life (4 of them traffic stops), and i'm too broke to carry that kind of cash regularly (or have anything to spend it on).

That said, I did buy a used car in the late 90s for 10k cash (the dude would not accept a check). If I had been pulled over on the way to that meeting and the officer decided they needed to search me for some reason and found the money, then I could have been in this situation.

I am sure there are others who have reasons to carry large sums of cash around. Hell, there used to be a coin dealer here in SOMD that would routinely carry like 50-100k worth of collectible coins and gold in his car to the meetings. He very well could have been subject to one of these seizures.

 

[vraiblonde]

It happens often.

So they say, but have you ever had it happen to you or anyone you know?

 

[vraiblonde]

I've had maybe 6 interactions with the police in my 6 decades of life (4 of them traffic stops), and i'm too broke to carry that kind of cash regularly (or have anything to spend it on).

In any of those interactions did the cop ask how much money you had on you?

 

[kwillia]

So they say, but have you ever had it happen to you or anyone you know?

Not to us, but yes.

 

[terbear1225]

Have you ever had DEA or some other LE agent steal it from you?

That's a real question. Like I said, I'm willing to change my mind with real world examples and not just some blogger's word for it.

nope, and I've never heard from any other group leader that they have had any issues either.

 

[SamSpade]

Okay, let's get real:

Who carries that kind of cash on them?

Most of the time when we went abroad to adopt - it was the only way to do it. Large cash payments, because they didn't take credit cards or checks.

In Russia, we kept them in cash belts we placed under out clothes - just below the belt line - because it was harder to get to if we should be robeed. Otherwise, we kept it locked up wherever possible, because you can't trust anyone not to steal your stuff.

 

[phreddyp]

Okay, let's get real:

Who carries that kind of cash on them? People engaged in cash-based illegal activity, that's who. Normal people may have a couple hundred cash on them, but not thousands. Not just at the airport, but everywhere. Forget the DEA confiscation part, that's a great way to get robbed by the local talent.

Seriously, draw me a picture of someone who would be carrying large amounts of cash (at the airport, no less) who is on the up and up. I'm willing to change my mind, but I'm not willing to mindlessly jump on a "Oh, these agents are evil!" bandwagon. Government sucks enough, we don't have to make things up.

I guess that you think offshore fishing, is a poor man's hobby. I carry at least five thousand dollars cash with me whenever I travel, pangas are at least $350 per trip plus tip, larger vessels are usually $1300 to $3500 per trip plus 20% tip. then there are the tips you leave for your meal servers, housekeepers and bartenders not to mention other tips given out. Cash, gives me discounts for fishing of at least 10% ,cash is the grease that lubes the rails.

 

[vraiblonde]

Not to us, but yes.

Just to be clear, I'm asking if anyone has or knows someone who has been targeted at random for no apparent reason, then forced to turn over all the cash on them to the agent.

Because that's a shakedown by a dirty cop and they get in trouble for that. If they could legally just go up to random people and take their money we'd never hear about cops getting fired and prosecuted for it.

I honestly do not understand how this works.

 

[Clem72]

In any of those interactions did the cop ask how much money you had on you?

That's not how it works (typically). Usually the dumb person has the cash in plain sight or voluntarily allows the officer to search the vehicle (since they aren't hiding anything). Sometimes it's during a search before being processed for arrest.

And no, they have never asked to search my vehicle but obviously this is something they ask people a lot (just watch any of those live cop shows).

 

[vraiblonde]

Most of the time when we went abroad to adopt - it was the only way to do it. Large cash payments, because they didn't take credit cards or checks.

In Russia, we kept them in cash belts we placed under out clothes - just below the belt line - because it was harder to get to if we should be robeed. Otherwise, we kept it locked up wherever possible, because you can't trust anyone not to steal your stuff.

Did DEA agents ever steal the money from you?