...and is forced to return $23,000 that it illegally confiscated from a truck driver at a weigh station in New Mexico.
You see, the trucker, who apparently doesn't believe in banks, was told by the DEA that "he would forfeit the money unless he could prove it did not come from illegal drug sales". Which, of course, violates the rule of law in this country. The government has the obligation of proving guilt, not the other way around. A person has the presumption of innocence until guilt is established beyond a reasonable doubt. Civics 101. Why doesn't the DEA know this?
"(The trucker)...was never charged with a crime."
Carrying around a sum like that may be dumb, but it's not against the law, as the head of the local ACLU states:
"'Carrying around large amounts of cash is not a crime in America,' said Peter Simonson, ACLU New Mexico's executive director, after the DEA decision Wednesday."
Yet. I'm sure Congress is working on making it one posthaste, as it seems hellbent on making everything a crime eventually.
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Welcome to Canada, my man. Millions of dollars get confiscated from our borders and airports that way. If you're packing over $10k, the burden of proof is on you to show that it's legit.
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