Got Pulled Over and They Found Cash - DEA Took Everything
You got pulled over on the highway. Maybe a broken taillight. Maybe you were going 7 miles over the limit. The officer was friendly at first, asked where you were headed, asked if you were carrying any large amounts of cash. You said yes - because you were. Maybe you were buying a car. Maybe you were depositing business receipts. Maybe you just don't trust banks.
And now it's gone.
The officer called the DEA. Or maybe state police "adopted" the seizure to federal jurisdiction. Either way, your cash is now in the hands of the federal government - and getting it back is nothing like what you'd expect. Civil asset forfeiture doesn't require them to charge you with a crime. It doesn't require them to prove you did anything wrong. Between 2007 and 2016, the DEA seized over $4 billion in cash from people. Over 80% of those seizures happened without a criminal charge or conviction. You have 35 days to fight back. Miss that deadline and your money is forfeited automatically - no hearing, no appeal, no second chances.
Welcome to Spodek Law Group. We handle federal asset forfeiture defense for people who've had cash seized by DEA, state police, or other agencies operating under federal jurisdiction. If you're reading this, the clock is already running. This article explains exactly what you're facing, why the system works the way it does, and what options you still have.
You Have 35 Days - And Then It's Gone
After the government seizes your cash, they're required to send you written notice within 60 days. Sometimes 90 days if local police transferred the case to a federal agency. That notice explains what was taken and tells you how to respond.
But here's the part most people miss: YOUR deadline is much shorter than theirs.
You have only 35 days from the date of that personal notice letter to file a claim. If you don't recieve the letter - if it goes to the wrong address, if you moved, if you were traveling - and the government publishes notice instead, you have just 30 days from publication. Miss that deadline and your money is automaticaly forfeited. No hearing. No judge. No opportunity to explain yourself. Gone.
Most seized cash stays seized. Not because the government proves there case in court. But because people dont fight back. The system is designed to discourage challenges. The deadlines are short. The legal fees are high. And the burden of proof is on you - not them.
The math that crushes people:
- Median amount seized: $1,276
- Average cost to hire an attorney: $3,000
- No right to a public defender
- Burden of proof on YOU to show your cash is legitimate
Think about those numbers. The typical person loses less money than it costs to fight back. That's not an accident. That's the system working exactly as designed.
For seizures under $500,000, the government can use "administrative forfeiture" - a streamlined process that happens without any court involvement unless you file a claim. For amounts over $500,000, they must use judicial forfeiture and go through federal court. But most highway seizures are under that threshold. Your $15,000 or $40,000 gets processed administratively - faster, quieter, and much harder to fight if you dont know the rules.
The Case Against Your Cash
Civil forfeiture is completley different from criminal prosecution. In criminal court, the government charges YOU with a crime. They must prove your guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. You get a public defender if you can't afford an attorney. You have constitutional protections.
None of that applies here.
Civil forfeiture is a lawsuit against your PROPERTY, not you. The case names actualy read like fiction: "United States v. $32,000 in U.S. Currency." Your cash is the defendant. And property doesn't have constitutional rights.
The government only needs to prove - by a preponderance of the evidence, meaning "more likely than not" - that your cash is connected to illegal activity. That's it. No beyond a reasonable doubt. No unanimous jury. Just more likely than not. And once they meet that basic threshold, the burden shifts to YOU. You must prove you're an "innocent owner" who didn't know about any criminal connection to the property. You must prove it by a preponderance of the evidence.
According to DOJ statistics, 84% of all federal forfeitures are civil. 98% of Treasury forfeitures are civil. This isn't some rare exception - it's the standard operating procedure.
And heres what most people dont understand: your state's reform laws might not protect you.
Many states have passed civil forfeiture reforms. Higher burdens of proof. Conviction requirements. Protections for property owners. But theres a way around all of that. Its called "equitable sharing."
State and local police can "adopt" seizures to the federal government through equitable sharing - and get back up to 80% of the proceeds. This means even if your state requires a criminal conviction for forfeiture, police can bypass those reforms by making it a federal case. The state reforms dont apply because now its a federal forfeiture. In 2022 alone, states deposited almost $1.8 billion to the DOJ's forfeiture fund.
This isn't random enforcement either. Highway cash seizures are the product of a systematic federal training program called Operation Pipeline. The DEA launched it in 1986 after seeing success in New Jersey and New Mexico. The program trained state and local police in "highway interdiction" - teaching them drug courier profiles, what to look for during traffic stops, how to identify suspicious behavior. It reached all 15 states along I-95. The stated goal was finding drugs. But cash is easier to seize and much harder to defend.
In November 2024, the DOJ suspended the DEA's airport cash seizure program after an internal review found "significant constitutional concerns." Between 2022 and 2024, that program seized $22 million but only arrested 57 people. The DEA administrator called it "outdated." The airport program got stopped.
But highway interdiction? Still running. Same techniques. Same legal framework. Same burden-shifting that makes civil forfeiture so problematic.
How to Fight Back
The first thing you need to understand: you CAN fight this. People do win these cases. They do get their money back. The government does dismiss forfeitures when faced with actual evidence of legitimate ownership.
But you need to act immediately. That 35-day clock is running right now.
The defenses available to you include:
- Innocent Owner Defense - You had no knowledge of any criminal connection to the cash. This is the most common defense, but it requires you to prove your innocence, not the government to prove your guilt.
- No Substantial Connection - The government must show a "substantial connection" between your property and illegal activity. If they can't, their case fails. Challenge the evidence linking your cash to any crime.
- Fourth Amendment Violations - If the traffic stop was illegal, if the search was improper, if police lacked probable cause - the seizure itself may be unconstitutional. Your attorney can move to suppress the evidence and return your property.
- Eighth Amendment Excessive Fines - After Timbs v. Indiana (2019), the Supreme Court applied the Excessive Fines Clause to state actions. If the forfeiture is grossly disproportionate to any alleged offense, you can challenge it as unconstitutionally excessive.
The key is filing a verified claim - NOT just an administrative petition. The petition asks the government to give your money back voluntarily. The claim demands a court hearing. Filing a petition can waive your right to judicial review. The claim is the ONLY way to get in front of a federal judge.
People do win. A man named Warren had his cash seized by DEA officers. His attorney gathered evidence - financial records, documentation showing the money came from a legitimate vehicle purchase. Once the US Attorney saw the evidence, federal prosecutors dismissed the forfeiture with prejudice. Warren got every penny back.
Brian Moore had $8,500 seized at Atlanta's airport. His attorneys compiled evidence proving the money came from the sale of his late grandfather's vehicle. The government presented no evidence supporting their allegations. Case dismissed with prejudice. Full refund.
These aren't anomalies. They're what happens when people fight back with proper legal representation and meet their deadlines.
Todd Spodek understands federal forfeiture law. He knows the deadlines under CAFRA. He knows the difference between administrative and judicial forfeiture, between a petition that waives rights and a claim that preserves them. He's handled cases in federal court where the government's entire case rested on the fact that someone was carrying cash - and the government lost.
When Your Ready
If DEA, state police, or any federal task force seized your cash on the highway, Spodek Law Group can help you understand where you stand and what options exist.
The consultation is free. Theres no obligation.
What you'll get is an honest assessment: When did the seizure happen? Have you received the notice letter? How much time is left on your 35-day clock? Is there legitimate documentation for the source of your cash? What are realistic outcomes - not promises, but actual possibilities based on the facts of your case?
Call us at 888-997-5177. The government has its deadlines. You have yours. And yours is probably running out faster than theirs.
Don't wait until you've missed the window. Every day you delay is a day closer to automatic forfeiture.
Were here when you need us.
