FORFEITURE INITIATIVE PAYING DIVIDENDS

B.C.'s civil forfeiture program is rolling into year three with nearly
$5-million in property forfeited to the province, Solicitor-General
John van Dongen said Friday as he released a report on the first two
years of the program.

As of June 30, the report indicated, the province has successfully
seen items forfeited to them in 35 cases, totaling nearly $4.5 million
in cash, vehicles and other property. That total has since climbed to
nearly $5-million.

None of those completed cases stem from Kelowna investigations, but
Rob Kroeker, executive director of the civil forfeiture office, said
that there are a number of cases pending before the courts in the
Central Okanagan, including a couple of houses used in a grow
operation and a business involved in drug trafficking.

The Civil Forfeiture Act came into force in April 2006, and allows for
the seizure of property if it can be proven in court it was obtained
through unlawful acts or used to further wrongdoing.

Since its inception, the civil forfeiture office has received 166
referrals and settled 35 cases.

Over 90 per cent of referrals were connected to unlawful activity
related to illegal drugs and money laundering.

The office became self-funded in just 18 months and has provided more
than $1.1 million in its first two years to victims of crime and local
groups pursuing crime prevention and remediation projects.

The newly released report, which summarizes the legal basis of civil
forfeiture, how the province has used forfeited assets, and what steps
B.C. has taken to clarify, strengthen and expand its legislation can
be found at www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/publications.