Court Opinion

ID: 9717110
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 06:58:25.322604+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:23:51.309957
License: Public Domain

Jim Hannah, Chief Justice, concurring. I concur; however, I write separately to address the majority’s analysis. I agree that the circuit court did not err in granting the petition for forfeiture because the money found in the Avalanche was in close proximity to the marijuana found in the Stratus. However, I disagree with the majority’s conclusion that the marijuana residue in the Avalanche constitutes an additional basis for forfeiture. Rather, the marijuana residue in the Avalanche is corroborative of other evidence that the Stratus and the Avalanche were involved in drug trafficking. Officer Yates testified that he collected some marijuana residue from a large, blue bin in the truck bed of the Avalanche. As pointed out by appellants, there is nothing in the record showing that the container was taken into evidence, tested in a laboratory, or proved to contain a quantity of marijuana sufficient to constitute a violation of Ark. Code Ann. § 5-64-505(a). Section 5-64-505 was amended by Acts 1999, No. 1120, § 1, which provides in part: Legislative intent. As stated in the comment to section 505 of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act, “Effective law enforcement demands that there be a means of confiscating the vehicles and instrumentalities used by drug traffickers in committing violations under this act. The reasoning is to prevent their use in the commission of subsequent offenses involving transportation or concealment of controlled substances and to deprive the drag trafficker of needed mobility.” The General Assembly recognizes the importance of asset forfeiture as a means to confront drug trafficking. However, the General Assembly also recognizes that under the system that existed prior to the enactment of this act, the lack of uniformity and accountability in forfeiture procedures across the state has undermined confidence in the system. As the United States Supreme Court has stated, “Forfeiture provisions are powerful weapons in the war on crime; like any such weapons, their impact can be devastating when used unjustly.” In order to alleviate the problems resulting from the lack of uniformity and accountability, the General Assembly has determined that time limits for initiating forfeiture proceedings and stricter controls over forfeited property will help alleviate such problems while strengthening forfeiture as a vital weapon against drug trafficking. Specifically, it is the intent of § 5-64-505(a) that there be no forfeitures based solely upon a misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance. However, if the prosecuting attorney can prove that other evidence exists to establish a basis for forfeiture, the property may be forfeited. (Emphasis in original.) By viewing the marijuana residue in isolation, the majority is setting a precedent that will allow forfeitures in cases based solely upon a misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance. By holding that the marijuana residue in the Avalanche, standing alone, provides a basis for forfeiture, the majority ignores the express intent of the General Assembly. Glaze and Imber, JJ., join.