Just a little RedNeck auction......Mifflin County Drug Task Force Public Auction.

[123tim]

While looking for a local auction on Auction.zip, I found this auction:
Mifflin County Drug Task Force Public Auction, Saturday, Dec. 17th @ 9:00am
http://www.auctionzip.com/cgi-bin/au...669&category=0

Be sure to check out the "Photo Gallery" located on the above page, or you can just click here:
http://www.auctionzip.com/cgi-bin/ph...zip=16669&kwd=

This started me wondering just where all of this material came from. A quick Google then lead me to this old (but obviously, still quite relevant) article:
http://www.lewistownsentinel.com/pag...id/509251.html

LEWISTOWN - When the Mifflin County District Attorney's Drug Taskforce sold two properties earlier this spring for close to $100,000, it knew it was onto something.

The homes were seized as part of an investigation into drug trafficking in Mifflin County and sold at a public auction. Both Mifflin County District Attorney Steve Snook and Mifflin County Regional Police Cpl. Rob Haines said they were "surprised" at the amount of interest at the sale, as well as the profits the organization turned.

Profits then were funneled back into the drug task force, leading to several recent arrests and, in this October, another auction.

"It (the seizures) perpetuates the drug task force ... it allows us to continue our drug work without being a drain on the public coffers," Snook said. "We've become much more active in the drug arena ... and as part of it, we're taking a very aggressive approach to forfeitures and seizures."

Forfeitures are now a key ingredient to the game because they deny the ill-gotten goods of illegal narcotics possession to those believed to be involved in the drug trade, Haines said.

The seizures have become such a priority that on a recent raid, Haines said he drove a truck to the site in question - not to haul off criminals, but rather the criminal's possessions.

One of the recent raids involved a man named Lee Foster, who Snook said was "the brains" behind a marijuana selling operation in Mifflin County.

Continued....



I really don't know why I posted this....maybe I'm wondering about the constitutionality of this?
Maybe the "for profit" aspect of this has me a little concerned?

I know that this is happening everywhere, but the blatant, obvious, quest for property sort of threw me a little....I guess that it's because it is so local this time.

I wasn't sure if this should go in "General Politics" or "Individual rights and liberties" but here is where it landed.

[asurfaholic]

Sell a joint and everything you own is "ill-gotten" property.

[dean.engelhardt]

Sell a joint and everything you own is "ill-gotten" property.

Didn't you get the memo? "All civil rights have been suspended due to the War on Drugs"

You might notice that the article leaves out the statement that these drug lords were convicted of a crime.

[123tim]

Didn't you get the memo? "All civil rights have been suspended due to the War on Drugs"
You might notice that the article leaves out the statement that these drug lords were convicted of a crime.

I can see this spreading to all aspects of life.
Run a stop-sign and lose your car?

[123tim]

Didn't you get the memo? "All civil rights have been suspended due to the War on Drugs"

You might notice that the article leaves out the statement that these drug lords were convicted of a crime.

No, I didn't notice that.
I did google it after you mentioned it.....can't seem to find any news of any conviction.

[mrsat_98]

Didn't you get the memo? "All civil rights have been suspended due to the War on Drugs"

You might notice that the article leaves out the statement that these drug lords were convicted of a crime.

To get a better understanding of what is going on my suggestion would be review every article and video you can find on "man or other animals" by al adask.
Government is attempting to reduce our status to that of animals. When properly refuted charges are disappearing.

adask.wordpress.com

[asurfaholic]

Didn't you get the memo? "All civil rights have been suspended due to the War on Drugs"

You might notice that the article leaves out the statement that these drug lords were convicted of a crime.

I hope you are not serious...

Ok, so the crime was committed. Everything they own now the property of the state? Its honestly OK with me if we establish this precedent, beacause our GOVT has some really nice toys that I wouldn't mind laying my hands on. Just over the last year our GOVT has committed enough crimes that I could have established a quite nice fleet of black-hawks and predator drones.

It should always work both ways.

[oyarde]

$#@!s .

[dean.engelhardt]

http://www.justice.gov/jmd/afp/

Here is the memo. Neither due process or conviction are required for law enforcement to use the Asset Forfeiture Program against a "suspected" criminal. This policy has been adopted by most of the 50 states. And yes, it leads to policing for profit.

Many times the victim of the program is not charged with a crime because the case is too weak.

[jdmyprez_deo_vindice]

These types of auctions have been going on for years and are conducted by local, state and the federal government. They will seize and sell everything from your house to boxes of used tupperware. What is even worse is that the auction companies that get contracts to sell this stuff are usually frauds themselves and only got the job because they knew the right people so they can charge a ridiculous commission plus a buyers premium and get away with it. I could tell you some really horrible stories about crap that goes on at these sales.. everything from fraud dealing with minority quotas to fraud dealing with bidding rings.