Thread: Large amount of cash seized in Franklin Co.

http://cjonline.com/stories/122706/bre_seized.shtml

Published Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Large amount of cash seized in Franklin Co.


OTTAWA -- The Franklin County Sheriff's Office announced today that on Tuesday it made what might turn out to be the state's second-largest cash seizure of drug sales proceeds on record.

Sheriff Craig A. Davis said his department hadn't yet determined the total amount of cash it seized from a semi-trailer that was parked at a rest area on Interstate 35, about 10 miles southwest of Ottawa.

The state's largest cash seizure of drug sales proceeds occurred when the Colby Police Department seized $3.7 million in January 2000 from a rental car stopped for a traffic violation on Interstate 70 in Colby.

Davis said that at about 10:45 a.m. Tuesday, Franklin County deputy Carl Bentley and his police dog were checking a rest area along southbound I-35 when he made contact with Carlos Angelo, age unavailable, of Mexico, and asked permission to search the tractor-trailer rig that Angelo had been driving.

Davis said that after Angelo granted permission, Bentley conducted a search and seized a substantial amount of cash from the trailer.

Angelo denied any knowledge about the money in the trailer, according to Davis, who said Angelo was being held today in the Franklin County Jail at Ottawa, where he is waiting to be picked up by officials from the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Davis said the case was being investigated by the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, Kansas Highway Patrol and federal Drug Enforcement Agency drug task force.

Forfeiture proceedings were to be conducted by the U.S. Attorney's office with help from Franklin County Attorney Heather Jones, Davis said.

Kansas forfeiture laws empower authorities to confiscate property linked to illegal activities. Once property, including money, has been seized, prosecutors must file a civil forfeiture proceeding saying why it should be forfeited. If the owner doesn't respond, the property is forfeited to the agency that confiscated it.

If the owner fights the seizure, authorities must present "clear and convincing” evidence in court that the property should be forfeited.

Davis said that at about 10:45 a.m. Tuesday, Franklin County deputy Carl Bentley and his police dog were checking a rest area along southbound I-35 when he made contact with Carlos Angelo, age unavailable, of Mexico, and asked permission to search the tractor-trailer rig that Angelo had been driving.

Thanks to those who voted for NAFTA. Once that NAFTA SuperHighway is completed, there will be a lot more of this.