DRUG DEALERS' PROPERTY ON AUCTION BLOCK

BRISTOL TOWNSHIP -- Those of us in the market for a pair of size 10
men's Gucci loafers, queen-size satin sheets or a 1989 Geo Spectrum
just got lucky.

In a case of Miami Vice meets Monty Hall, the Bucks County District
Attorney's Office will auction off personal property seized from
convicted drug dealers during the last eight months.

Scheduled for April 24 in Bristol Township, the auction is the 16th in
a series that since 1987 has generated $745,342 to pay for undercover
narcotics investigations and crime-fighting equipment in the county.

And $872,909 more has been raised by auctioning seized real
estate.

Anything used to transport illegal drugs or bought with the proceeds
of drug sales is fair game to be confiscated and sold under
Pennsylvania forfeiture laws, said District Attorney Alan M. Rubenstein.

"This is our largest auction, in terms of the number of items," he
said. There are 260 lots, some of which include multiple items.

To ensure the event produces a tidy profit for crime-fighting efforts,
minimum bids are attached to each lot. But most of the property,
including two of the three Mustangs, requires a minimum bid of $25 or
less.

If You Go Merchandise will be available for inspection and bidding
from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, April 23, and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday,
April 24. Bids will be accepted in writing both days and opened at 1
p.m. April 24. The address is 7231 New Falls Rd., Bristol Township.