Crime Does Pay, At Least For The Police

Thursday, July 19th 2007, 9:09 pm

By: News On 6

It's not exactly a secret that drug dealing is profitable. Ten members of a drug ring in southeastern Oklahoma were recently convicted and ordered to forfeit more than $4 million in cash and property. News On 6 crime reporter Lori Fullbright reports on how forfeiture works, and where the money goes.

The drug running operation headed by Sammy Valdivia included his father-in-law and brother-in-law, Paul and Travis Philpot, along with a former Sequoyah County Commissioner Hoyet Philpot and others. Authorities say they used horse trailers to transport drugs across the U.S. border into Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Kentucky and beyond. Agents say some drugs were hidden inside special compartments in the trailers.

Agents seized nearly $2 million in cash in Georgia last year, then found 30 bundles of cash containing nearly $30,000 each just two months later. Now, $892,000 in cash seized in Oklahoma City belongs to the federal government, along with $100,000 found in McIntosh County, $546,000 seized in McAllen, Texas, tracts of land, numerous vehicles, three Rolex watches and even a racehorse named Elite First Down.

On a smaller scale, seizures like this are done of local drug dealers on a regular basis by area District Attorney's offices. A Cadillac Escalade with its custom rims is now a Tulsa police vehicle, and it didn't cost taxpayers a dime.

"There's a tremendous amount of profit in the drug industry and we're trying to remove as much of the profit as we can," said Chuck Creekmore, Assistant Tulsa County District Attorney.

Tulsa County seized 418 guns, 35 vehicles and $694,000 in cash in 2006. Any guns seized by the federal government, or Tulsa police, are destroyed. Most other items are auctioned off, turned into cash then distributed according to law. The arresting agencies get a cut, along with the District Attorneyâ€™s drug fund, and that money goes back to departments to keep fighting the drug trade and other crimes. That can be a big boost in this time of tight budgets.

"The money is put back into the system to fight drug crimes," said Creekmore.

The state and federal governments can also seize computers used for child pornography, trailers used to steal livestock, cars used in drive-by shootings and money that's just sitting next to drugs or paraphernalia. These are the Oklahoma laws, they are quite extensive and detailed about what can be taken from criminals and used to fight future crime.

Watch the video: What Happens To Forfeited Property Used In A Crime?