War On Drugs Is Lost When Individual Cops Become Bounty Hunters Looking For Motorists Who Might Have Money. Once Again Cops Out Of Control.

Cop Confiscates Las Vegas Winnings from Innocent Man

Tan Nguyen had a lucky run while visiting Las Vegas casinos, piling up winnings of $60,000.

But his luck ran out on his way back to California when a cop pulled him over for driving just 3 mph over the speed limit.

Deputy Lee Dove stopped Nguyen on I-80 in Humboldt County. Dove immediately stated that he smelled drugs. This gave him legal cause to search Nguyen’s car.

Police State USA reports the conversation that followed…

“I just smelled weed. I know I did. I know I smelled weed,” said Dove in the dash-cam video available from KLAS-TV.

Deputy Dove is a skilled narcotics agent that knows that accusing someone of drug trafficking is all that is required to walk away with their money and property. The policy that enables him to do this is known as civil asset forfeiture. “How much money you got?” asks the deputy.

No drugs were found in the subsequent search. But that was no problem for the deputy. He had discovered Nguyen’s money — $50,000 in cash and $10,000 in cashier’s checks.

“That’s not yours, is it?” the deputy asked.

“That’s mine,” Nguyen responded.

“Well, I’m seizing it,” the deputy declared.

Nguyen protested that the officer had no right to rob him. But Deputy Dove reminded him that government theft is legal in a police state.

“Everyday I do this,” said the Deputy Dove. “It’s all I do for a living. It’s drug interdiction and I get money.”

“The only reason why you have that cash is because it’s related to some sort of illegal activity,” said the deputy. “You know it and I know it.”

After taking the cash, Dove forced Nguyen to sign a document stating that he was “abandoning the money,” and then let him leave.

Dove never issued a speeding ticket or warning. In fact, Nguyen was never charged with any crime at all.

After he got home Nguyen cashed his $10,000 in cashier checks and used the money to hire a lawyer to get the rest of his money back. Thankfully, he was successful in recovering the stolen money.

Although Humboldt county officials claim these types of cash seizures have stopped, Deputy Dove is still hiding behind his badge while actively running his so-called “drug interdiction” business.