Legal Question

[The Kizzy]

So let's say I cook methamphetamines in my kitchen. Let's say that one day the police raid my kitchen and confiscate everything including $1.2million dollars in cash.

What happens to said cash?

I mean, I know that it would be confiscated as evidence, but what happens if the trial is over? Is it different if you are innocent or guilty?

Just curious, they did a raid on a house near by and collected 1.2 million so it just got me thinking.

[Tikker]

i'm pretty sure the dirty cops use it to buy hookers and cocaine

[Lueyen]

The short answer is government keeps it. How and what it is used for varies state to state, some of it goes to federal programs ect.

[Dylan]

Every time I've gone to jail and had cash on me I got it back in the form of a government check when I got out.

Maybe they get it back if they were innocent?

[brinstar]

like posted above, depends on the state or jurisdiction of the agency doing the bust

around here, a decent chunk of seized drug money goes into the buy fund, money used by undercovers to buy drugs off dealers as evidence to put them away

i'm sure some of it gets spun off into drug education programs, and the rest probably covers general law enforcement costs

so no, that guy probably won't see his 1.2 mil again

[Lueyen]

Every time I've gone to jail and had cash on me I got it back in the form of a government check when I got out.

Maybe they get it back if they were innocent?

That's because it's considered legally obtained property. Try knocking off the local 7-ll and getting caught on your way home with the cash from the till, you won't get it back when you get out of jail. Yes if they were found innocent of any crime and the money was not gained illegally they would get it back.

Now lets say you are a miser who distrusts banks and who likes to smoke pot. You stash a couple hundred thousand somewhere in your house. For whatever reason the police raid your home, find the money and drugs. The way I understand it, if they did not find enough drugs to charge you with distribution, then the money would be returned to you if it was even confiscated in the first place (they might seize it until they could determine how/where it came from under the auspices of probable cause, or protecting assets but I think that would be a stretch, perhaps Mar or Kahar could tell us for certain).

[Kramer]

sounds like

jk. most of the time cops and feds have a tug of war battle on the least busy street near the scene or they bring the fastcash windtunnel cage where each officer gets to spend thirty seconds stuffing his or her pockets/orifices