I-80 drug stops: Sheriff fleeces motorists out of big bucks claims lawsuit

March 13, 2014

The I-80 drug stops orchestrated by a sheriff in rural Nevada appear to be quite the racket if what the sheriff and his officers are being accused of is factual. Humbolt County Sheriff Ed Kilgore’s department is accused of running an I-80 drug stop sting and taking tens of thousands of dollars from motorists and this is all legally done, according to The Inquisitr on March 12.

The I-80 drug stop racket came to light when two men, one from Colorado and another from California filed federal lawsuits claiming deputies seized thousands of dollars in each separate case from motorists for no reason at all. There were no drugs involved and these men were not arrested, the deputies took their cash and sent them on their way.

One man said he was carrying a briefcase containing $50,000 in cash and the other man reported he was out $13,800 in cash and a handgun. Both these incidents started with a traffic stop and the sheriff claims this is perfectly legal if the officer involved suspects the money was from illegal sources or to be used illegally in some way. There is no proof needed and they do not need to be accused of wrong doing when the money is taken away.

These two traffic stops resulted in the officers finding no evidence of drugs in the car and there was no arrest made. The officers impounded both of the men’s vehicles and the men were told if they forfeited the cash they had with them their cars would be released.

The sheriff argues that both men had the right to go to court to prove that the money was legal, but they opted not to. This is a case of guilty until proven innocent say critics and it sounds like the sheriff and his merry-men have figured out a way to use the law to fleece unsuspecting motorist.

If you were either one of these men would you go to court after witnessing what looks like a legal scam? The men were most likely just happy to get out of there at the time. With the way the sheriff’s department had misconstrued the law to their advantage, the men who lost their cash probably worried that the court proceeding would run pretty much the same in this out-of-the-way municipal.

If this is what is going on with the I-80 drug stops, people should fear traveling through this area. Apparently if an officer just “suspects” that you are doing something illegal, it could be very costly.

http://www.examiner.com/article/i-80-drug-stops-sheriff-fleeces-motorists-out-of-big-bucks-claims-lawsuit