Drugbusters Go Through the Looking Glass

From the Newspaper:

Prosecutors in Morris County, New Jersey on Thursday applied to keep permanently the family vehicles belonging to Gerard and Jane Trapp. The cars had been seized based on the accusation that their teenage son Gerald Jr., 19, had the painkiller Oxycodone in his possession. The teenage Trapp has not been found guilty in a court of law, nor has he been put on trial. Nonetheless, following a July 27 drug raid, the family of six lost their 1992 Cadillac SDV, a 1995 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, and a 1994 Toyota Camry.

"To take three cars over a conspiracy charge is over the top," Gerald Trapp Sr. told the Hanover Daily Record. "To seek to have the people buy back their own cars when they need those cars for their daily activities seems to me to almost rise to the level of extortion." Neither of the parents were aware of their teenage son's prescription painkiller use, nor were any of the cars registered in his name.

Forfeiture laws were written to prevent Porsche-collecting, mansion-dwelling proven drug dealers from keeping the material profits of their trade. Witness how far we've strayed from that idea: Not only has Gerald Trapp Jr. not been tried in court, much less found guilty; he's not even thought to have been dealing in drugs — he's a first-time offender charged with nothing more than possession. Of a prescription drug. On top of that, the confiscated property doesn't belong to him. The whole thing is a brazen rape of the Fourth Amendment, a mind-boggling abuse of police powers. Just like this case.

Comments

[ben]

How the hell is such a thing possible in a civilized, democratic country? Isn't there any law, any justice, any politician to end this before it even starts?

[Martin Owens]

This is exactly why the Bill of Rights was written. America's founders knew all about the creeping abuse of power. There's always a pressing need to subvert a given liberty or safeguard, a real danger, and the subverters have only good intentions. Over the years the original need declines but the law stays- a standing temptation to greed and overreaching. And one day this.

Never mind the war on terror- we need to recover our rigthts and liberties or there will be nothing to defend from anybody.

[Jeff The Poustman]

Well said Martin. Who needs islamofascism when you've got homemade fascism hot on the stove? How Homeland Secure do the Trapps feel?

[Skip Oliva]

Until we recognize the advocates of the "drug war" and similar campaigns as religious fanatics, the larger society will be powerless to deal with the problem.

[Paul]

It's not a free country any more, people. Keep your firearms close at hand.