Conversation

If you’re sending your packages via FedEx, beware. The State of Indiana could be seizing them without any warrant or probable cause.

According to a lawsuit filed by the Institute for Justice, police have been seizing FedEx packages containing cash, and then taking the cash under #civil #asset #forfeiture

Civil asset forfeiture is a process by which police can take anything suspected of being involved in a crime without a warrant or conviction, and then keep the loot for themselves.

In this case, it’s happening at the nation’s second-largest FedEx hub, located at the Indianapolis International Airport.

Police dogs sniff packages and flag those expected to contain cash.

Officers then remove the tape, rummage through the package and take the cash for themselves if they find any.

Ostensibly, the police can do so because they perceive the cash is connected with a crime, even if no actual crime is identified

https://www.indystar.com/story/opinion/2024/08/13/marion-county-asset-forfeiture-treats-cash-transfers-as-crimes/74777122007/