Walk It Through: The Cash at the Roadside
Cash seized on a stop, notice within 30 days, and the 14 day clocks that follow.
On a stop, an officer finds a large amount of cash and seizes it as drug money.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
Cash seized on a traffic stop. A house or car seized, a federal adoption of the seizure, and the court fight over a claim are left out of this one.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Civil forfeitureTaking property tied to the conduct the forfeiture act covers, which includes most drug crimes and theft, whether or not anyone is prosecuted or convicted.
- Probable causeThe ground an officer needs to arrest without a warrant for a felony, or for a misdemeanor with a further reason it cannot wait.