DEA seized $3.2 billion in cash from people never under investigation – Justice Dept

‘The US Drug Enforcement Administration seized $3.2 billion in cash over a 10-year period from people who were never under criminal investigation, according to a Justice Department inspector general report. Agents confiscated vehicles, jewelry, houses but mostly cash.
“For the majority of the seizures we examined, the department could not verify that the seizure could advance or was related to a criminal investigation,” said Michael Horowitz, Inspector General, Justice Department in a video accompanying the 74-page report, released on Wednesday.
Inspectors examined 100 out of 80,000 cash seizures where the DEA took in $4.15 billion in cash during cases conducted between fiscal years 2007 to 2016. The seizures were made without a court-issued warrant and without the presence of narcotics — a potential violation of the 4th Amendment. Of those, 85 were stops at transportation facilities or along highways. The smallest seizure involved $3,000 confiscated at an airport.’
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