Forfeiture Unit

The purpose of forfeiture law is to remove instrumentalities of crimes from criminals, meaning that after you take the house, car, and cash away from the drug dealer or manufacturer, the dealer now has lost the profits from the illegal activity as well as the place to manufacture and the means to transport the drugs.

The Forfeiture Unit is responsible for the administrative and judicial forfeiture of assets seized under Article 36 of the Criminal Code and the Drug Asset Forfeiture Procedure Act.

Forfeited assets can include vehicles, watercraft, aircraft, currency, bank accounts, negotiable instruments, communications devices, computers, business assets, manufacturing equipment, and real property such as homes, commercial buildings, and farms.

Vehicles forfeited under Article 36 of the Criminal Code, are forfeited to law enforcement agencies when they are used to aid in the commission of certain crimes. A few acts for which forfeiture is authorized are: murder, child pornography, sex assault, burglary, arson, drive-by shootings, and driving with a license that is suspended for DUI.

Assets forfeited for violations of the Controlled Substances Act are used by the State Police, local law enforcement, and the State’s Attorney’s Office to further the enforcement of narcotic laws. This goal may be accomplished when forfeited vehicles are used by narcotics officers in undercover operations or when forfeited funds are used to purchase surveillance equipment for narcotics officers. Additional uses for forfeited funds include providing the community-at-large with educational materials to help them understand their role in preventing drug related crime, such as literature directed at gang prevention, drug prevention, and materials to help school children say no to drugs.