Opinion ID: 706865
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Due Process And Federal Adoption Of Seizures

Text: 21 The Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, Pub.L. No. 91-513, Title II, Sec. 511, 84 Stat. 1276 (codified as amended at 21 U.S.C. Sec. 881(a)), provides for the civil forfeiture of property that has been used either to facilitate illegal drug transactions or to acquire the proceeds of such criminal activity. However, to be subject to civil forfeiture under Sec. 881, the property must fall into one of eight categories defined in Sec. 881(a). The relevant category here, Sec. 881(a)(6), has been described as illicitly obtained wealth. Linarez v. United States Dep't of Justice, 2 F.3d 208, 209 (7th Cir.1993). 4 22 The civil forfeiture statute incorporates the forfeiture procedures found in the Tariff Act of 1930, which governs customs forfeitures. 21 U.S.C. Sec. 881(d); 5 United States v. Woodall, 12 F.3d 791, 792 (8th Cir.1993); Glasgow v. Drug Enforcement Admin., 12 F.3d 795, 797 (8th Cir.1993); see also Linarez, 2 F.3d at 209; Scarabin v. Drug Enforcement Admin., 966 F.2d 989, 991 (5th Cir.1992). The Tariff Act of 1930 includes provisions for administrative forfeitures of property valued at $500,000 (formerly, $100,000) or less pursuant to 19 U.S.C. Secs. 1607-1609 and 21 C.F.R. Secs. 1316.75-77. Woodall, 12 F.3d at 792; Linarez, 2 F.3d at 209. The Tariff Act also provides that an administrative  'declaration of forfeiture under [19 U.S.C. Sec. 1609] shall have the same force and effect as a final decree and order of forfeiture in a judicial forfeiture proceeding in a district court of the United States.'  Id. at 793 (quoting 19 U.S.C. Sec. 1609(b)). 23 A federal agency may adopt the seizure of property seized by another agency as related to illegal drug use or trafficking. See 21 C.F.R. Sec. 1316.91(l ); United States v. One Ford Coupe Auto., 272 U.S. 321, 325, 47 S.Ct. 154, 155, 71 L.Ed. 279 (1926) (the United States may adopt seizure of property forfeitable under federal law if seized by local official or one with no authority to make seizure); Linarez v. United States Dep't of Justice, 2 F.3d 208, 209 (7th Cir.1993) (federal adoption may occur when seized property has been used or acquired to facilitate a drug related offense under federal law); United States v. $12,390.00, 956 F.2d 801, 803, 805 (8th Cir.1992) (noting that pursuant to 21 U.S.C. Sec. 881, federal agencies may adopt seizures from local agencies for federal administrative forfeiture); United States v. One 1979 Chevrolet C-20 Van, 924 F.2d 120, 121 (7th Cir.1991) (citing 21 C.F.R. Sec. 1316.91(l ) as providing the authority for adoption); United States v. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Bd. of Educ., 902 F.2d 267, 272 (4th Cir.1990) (recognizing the practice of federal adoption of local seizures, and sustaining that practice over objections that it violated 21 U.S.C. Sec. 903, which explicitly rejects congressional intent to occupy the field of forfeiture). Madewell asserts, however, that the adoption by the DEA of the seizure of the currency by the MSHP in question here violated his due process rights. This court does not agree for a number of reasons. 24 First, courts, including the United States Supreme Court, have held that the United States may adopt a seizure even when the person who seized the property had no authority to seize the property, or the initial seizure was constitutionally tainted. United States v. One Ford Coupe Auto., 272 U.S. 321, 325, 47 S.Ct. 154, 155, 71 L.Ed. 279 (1926); United States v. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Bd. of Educ., 902 F.2d 267, 272 (4th Cir.1990); United States v. One 1977 Mercedes Benz, 708 F.2d 444, 450 (9th Cir.1983); 6 United States v. One 1956 Ford Tudor Sedan, 253 F.2d 725, 727 (4th Cir.1958). For the same reason, we agree with the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals that the United States may adopt a seizure where there was no authority to transfer the property. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Bd. of Educ., 902 F.2d at 272 (emphasis added). 7 Thus, any constitutional infirmity in the transfer of the seized property does not taint the adoption of the seizure by the federal agency. 25 Second, no preseizure notice or hearing is required before a federal agency may seize personal property subject to forfeiture for violation of federal drug laws. United States v. $8,850 in United States Currency, 461 U.S. 555, 562 n. 12, 103 S.Ct. 2005, 2011 n. 12, 76 L.Ed.2d 143 (1983); Calero-Toledo v. Pearson Yacht Leasing Co., 416 U.S. 663, 676-80, 94 S.Ct. 2080, 2088-2090, 40 L.Ed.2d 452 (1974); United States v. South Half of Lot 7 and Lot 8, Block 14, Kountze's 3rd Addition To The City of Omaha, 876 F.2d 1362, 1370 (8th Cir.1989); United States v. One Red Ferrari, 875 F.2d 186, 189 (8th Cir.1989); United States v. Certain Real Estate Property Located At 4880 S.E. Dixie Highway, 838 F.2d 1558, 1561 (11th Cir.1988). 8 8] The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has therefore held that due process does not require any notice of the federal adoption of a seizure and an opportunity to protest, because due process does not require that pre-seizure notice or opportunity to be heard be given the owner of [property] subject to forfeiture. One 1977 Mercedes Benz, 708 F.2d at 450 n. 5 (citing Calero-Toledo v. Pearson Yacht Leasing Co., 416 U.S. 663, 679, 94 S.Ct. 2080, 2089-2090, 40 L.Ed.2d 452 (1974), and United States v. One 1971 BMW 4-Door Sedan, 652 F.2d 817, 821 (9th Cir.1981)). Because there is no pre-seizure notice requirement for federal seizure of property, it follows that there is no notice requirement prior to federal adoption of a seizure made by local authorities. 26 Third, courts have long held that a federal agency's adoption of a seizure has the same effect as if the federal agency had originally seized the property on the date it was seized by the local authorities. The Caledonian, 17 U.S. 100, 103, 4 Wheat. 100, 4 L.Ed. 523 (1819); One Ford Coupe, 272 U.S. at 321, 47 S.Ct. at 155, 71 L.Ed. 279 (1926); United States v. $119,000 in U.S. Currency, 793 F.Supp. 246, 249 (D.Hawaii 1992) (calling this the  'adoptive forfeiture' doctrine); United States v. Certain Real Property Known as Lot B, Governor's Rd., Milton, N.H., 755 F.Supp. 487, 490 (D.N.H.1990); United States v. Alston, 717 F.Supp. 378, 380 (M.D.N.C.1989) (calling this the adoption principle), aff'd sub nom. United States v. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Bd. of Educ., 902 F.2d 267 (4th Cir.1990). Although this court would not suggest that a late federal adoption of a seizure and actual transfer of the property to federal control could or should be used to avoid the effects of proper state court proceedings concerning the seized property after its seizure by state or local officials and before federal adoption, see $12,390, 956 F.2d at 805 (state court may have primary and exclusive jurisdiction over the res if it first establishes in rem jurisdiction over the res prior to institution of federal forfeiture proceedings), 9 the doctrine does suggest that the claimant of such property has no due process complaint about the adoption itself. The claimant's due process rights concern the disposition of the property, including its actual forfeiture, 10 rather than adoption of the seizure by one sovereign after actual seizure by another. To put it another way, the claimant's due process concern is with the forfeiture of the property, not with the identity of the sovereign who ultimately undertakes the forfeiture action. 27 The foregoing cases establish that the due process concerns raised by a federal forfeiture are entirely separate from the adoption of the seizure of the property by federal agents. Because the DEA could adopt the seizure even if the MSHP was without authority to transfer the property seized, because due process does not require any notice prior to such an adoption, and because due process is not concerned with the identity of the sovereign seeking to forfeit the seized property, but with the forfeiture action itself, this court holds that Madewell's due process rights were not violated by the DEA defendants when they adopted the seizure of the $9,400 in U.S. currency. The district court properly granted summary judgment in favor of the federal DEA agents, Downs and Grootens, on Madewell's claim that those defendants violated his constitutional rights to due process by adopting the seizure. 28