Property Seized in a Drug Case
15 M.R.S. § 5821 — forfeiture when the owner is convicted of a crime the property was part of
Drugs, equipment, containers, vehicles and other conveyances used to transport or hide them, and records used in drug crimes are subject to forfeiture to the State when the owner is convicted of a crime in which the property was involved.
Who handles this in Maine: legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Maine directory.
- A common carrier's vehicle is not forfeited unless the owner consented or knew.
- A vehicle is not forfeited for what someone did while it was unlawfully out of the owner's hands.
- Property is seized on court process issued on probable cause, or without it when incident to an arrest, under a search warrant, or on probable cause it was used in a crime.
Sources for this section (2)
- 15 M.R.S. § 5821 — Subject property
- 15 M.R.S. § 5822 — Procedure
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Maine attorney.