&gt; There are always drugs when property is seized this way.<p>Nope.  Several years ago the FBI stole $6M in Platinum, Gold and Silver.  Some of the theft was of protected political speech-- literally copper &amp; silver pieces with Ron Paul&#x27;s picture and a campaign slogan on them.   No allegations of drugs was involved, and the criminality claim -- that using gold and silver as barter threatened to undermine the US dollar -- was absurd on its face.<p>&gt;  IT IS NOT DIFFICULT TO CONTEST A CIVIL FORFEITURE.<p>BS.  The $6M in precious metals was melted down (reducing its value actually) and sold off to the profit of the FBI, despite a very large and expensive legal effort to try and reclaim the money.  The owners of the assets were never convicted of a crime.<p>&gt; The money does not all go directly to the seizing agency. Much of it goes towards drugs programs, oversight for civil forfeitures, and other programs.<p>IT&#x27;s still theft.