Saturday, October 21, 2017

After Stalling for Two Years, CBP Returns Truck It Stole at the Border - Hit & Run : Reason.com

Image result for civil forfeiture casesAfter Stalling for Two Years, CBP Returns Truck It Stole at the Border - Hit & Run : Reason.com: "Yesterday Gerardo Serrano was reunited with his 2014 Ford F-250 pickup truck, which was arrested by Customs and Border Protection officers two years ago in connection with international arms smuggling.
The smuggling involved five handgun rounds that Serrano forgot to remove from the truck's center console before embarking on a trip to visit his cousin in Mexico.
The truck was never formally charged with a crime, and neither was Serrano, as is typical in civil forfeiture cases. 
After the Institute for Justice filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of Serrano and other similarly situated vehicle owners last month, I.J. says in a press release, CBP lawyers suddenly told him "he could pick up his truck whenever he wanted."
...Serrano is happy about the semi-victory but wants to see more evidence that CBP has seen the error of its car-stealing ways.
"I'm thrilled to have my truck back," Serrano says. "But I'd like somebody to apologize for taking it in the first place.""

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