While the searches may not be popular, they’re certainly profitable.
Clayton County records and federal documents show that drug agents find large amounts of cash on passengers at departing gates rather than drugs. Agents have seized millions of dollars, and while travelers aren’t arrested, their money is often administratively forfeited.
Like most civil forfeiture cases, people who have their money taken must prove in court that their money isn’t connected to drug trafficking or other illegal activity. Seizures like these don’t just happen at the Atlanta airport. They’ve taken place at airports across the country.
Generally I would agree with you on that but here aren’t they already guilty of moving large cash amounts without any sort of authorization? (I don’t know if it’s legal or not to transport that much cash in the US)
It is legal to carry any amount of cash in the US, as far as i’m aware. The main risk is that the cops will just steal it from you and then there’s no realistic recourse.
If it’s your money you can do whatever the hell you want with it. I think title 31 regulates if you are moving money for other people/money laundry, etc
Are there rules in some countries about not being allowed to carry as much cash as you want/need? That seems very strange to me as a US citizen. Is it because you might use it for drugs/other off the books transactions? or just because it’s dangerous and you might get robbed?
In France it is illegal to have more than 10k€ on your person. So moving large sum of cash is illegal but there might be a way to have a proper authorization to do so?
It’s perfectly legal in the US to carry any amount of cash, but …… asset forfeiture has turned into a situation where if police assume it was used for a crime, they can steal it from you without actually proving there was a crime committed.
While I can see that in a lot of cases large amounts of cash are related to crimes, there are also plenty of cases where that’s not true. More importantly it’s a workaround for your Constitutional protections that should be illegal as hell
It shouldn’t be. Steve Lehto covers it a lot on his channel. So much there’s an actual playlist and I can tell you there’s more than 23 videos on the topic.
Nah, they REALLY buried the lede with this bit further down. Emphasis added.
Most travelers are unclear of their rights when it comes to airport searches. In order to be admitted entry to the airport’s gated areas, passengers must submit themselves to TSA security screenings. That’s a fact.
However, the random searches by DEA agents at the Atlanta airport give passengers pause, but it should be noted that they’re not mandated. The DEA officially calls its stops and searches at airport gates “cold consent encounters,” and passengers are free to end the encounter and walk away if they’d like.
Yeah because that’s how encounters with cops ever happen 🙄
If I had a dollar for every time a cop has murdered someone for failing to obey an unlawful order, I would be rich enough for cops to let me get away with anything!
You ever had. Real encountered with the police? They’ll just make some shit up and search you anyway best case scenario. More likely is you now upset them and they arrest you for whatever they make up on the spot, I believe there was just a supreme court ruling that they can make up a reason for stops/arrests after the fact and that’s perfectly fine as well.
So, while I agree with the sentiment, I wouldn’t try anything like that. The police state is real and oppressive. You want to avoid any interaction with it and the US system at all costs.
You’re welcome to try, but your whole attitude seems rooted in the idea that at the end of the day, the justice system is on your side and that you can beat them at your own game.
More likely you’ll get arrested, probably have some BS charges thrown at you that the judge will happilly pass through, you’ll never fly again, and maybe even see some jail time.
There are many valid and important ways to fight back against police injustice. Yelling “get fucked pig” - while satisfying, and even justified - is definitely not one of them, even if talking about doing it does make you feel like a badass lol
You’re making an assumption that I believe in the justice system.
You’re very likely (95%) correct that I’ll get fucked over by the entire system, and I’m willing to accept that. I don’t care if I lose. I care that I tried.
Seems like a waste to me, if you’re literally willing to give up your freedom to fight the system, it’d make a lot more sense to do it in a way that might actually lead to change
The DEA is a failed experiment filled to the brim with corruption and toxicity. It should’ve been dismantled decades ago. Redundant executive agencies have gotten out of control in the US (e.g. Dept of Homeland Sec (DHS), NSA, DEA, etc). There’s nothing the DEA does that the FBI isn’t capable of doing. Same with DHS. And I won’t even get into how the DEA violated the Constitution by essentially writing their own laws regarding drugs (i.e. Controlled Substances Act states that determination if drugs have medical use is to be conducted by the Surgeon General, yet the DEA repeatedly ignored SG and just labels drugs however the fuck they want).
DHS was meant to be the answer for your concern. Why have many agencies with separately defined jurisdictions, checks and balances and limitations when you can combine them into one monstrous entity that can work together without pesky limitations like Constitutional rights or public transparency
I was followed around by an obvious undercover one time, assumed they were checking me as a terrorist, but it was far more likely they thought I was a mule.
Me: Middle-aged white guy, desert combat boots, straw cowboy hat, huge CamelBak. When I travel, in any way, I dress for comfort, weather and the ability to handle whatever random shit comes my way.
Here’s what I wrote at the time so I don’t mix up memories:
Got followed around DFW by an OBVIOUS undercover. Standard-issue ex-military federalé. White guy, early 40’s, good looking, square jaw, shaved tight, excellent shape. Clothes so plain it was obvious he was trying to blend in, BUT the kinda boots you wear to hike or fight in. Ever seen a 30/40-something undercover cop in a college bar? Yeah, that guy, except the look screamed professional. Seems this guy is tailing me, I might be paranoid, pulled some “tradecraft”. Turned and came back at him. He stops to look in a closed perfume/soap shop window. Not a place in which guys would be interested, nothing to actually see in there, and he’s obviously not looking into the store. He’s watching my reflection!
Glanced at a shop window, oh lawd he comin’! Went a few dozen yards down the concourse, pulling my tail along, spun a 180 and walked back through the crowd waiting to board. He casually spun into facing another random shop, unfocused eyes, perfectly still, not window shopping. Lost him soon after. Did he catch onto me?! Did he feel he was blown and called in another tail? Found me harmless and gave up? LOL, the man certainly avoided eye contact like I was some kinda Gorgon!
SO wanted to blow his cover! Wimped out.
All I can figure is that I checked a pistol case, perfectly legit, and sported a loaded CamelBak with gear loaded in the molle loops. Maybe the grenade pouch looked sus? Also, had a 7-hour layover and walked every square inch of all 5 terminals. Looked like I was casing the joint?
They shouldn’t but absolutely do. They follow the conservative maxim and consider themselves part of the in-group
“Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition … There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.” --Frank Wilhoit”
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