FORFEITURE ABUSE

The June 28 article on trucker Al Dilts ("Trucker's ordeal highlights
drug-sentence debate," A-1) is a prime example of civil asset forfeiture
abuses.

Caught hauling marijuana hidden in what Dilts assumed was a legitimate
delivery, Dilts maintained his innocence and did everything he could to
help federal prosecutors bring down a drug kingpin. The feds bungled their
efforts to catch the kingpin, but they did reward Dilts for his cooperation
with 30 months in jail and the loss of his business. Prosecutors sold
Dilts' truck and kept the proceeds.

The financial incentives created by civil asset forfeiture laws create a
very dangerous precedent. When protectors of the peace become predators,
society is put at risk.

Both violent drug dealers and unscrupulous prosecutors share a common bond:
They are both financially dependent on a never-ending drug war without
victory. With so much money changing hands, it's no wonder that government
institutions turn a blind eye to the parallels between the drug war and
America's disastrous experiment with alcohol prohibition.

Robert Sharpe

The Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation