At 12:25 PM 1/23/00 -0700, you wrote:
>On Sun, 23 Jan 2000, Craig J. Bolton wrote:
>
>> people from cheating on their roundtrip fares - and don't ever try to purchase
>> a ticket for cash unless you want to run a substantial risk of forfeiting the
>> ticket and the cash.]
>
>Why not?
It is more or less standard procedure for federal agents of this or that government agency [particularly DEA] to seize cash used to purchase tickets at Sky Harbor - particularly "cross country" tickets. The procedure is that when someone attempts to make such a purchase, the ticket agent sets off a hidden silent alarm notifying the agent that she has a fish on the line. The agent then appears, flashes his i.d. and has trained fido sniff the cash. Since virtually all currency has cocaine dust on it in amounts detectable by a dog fido gives the high sign, and probable cause is established to seize the cash as the instrumentality of a drug crime. The owner then receives a form complaint captioned "In re $500.00" and has X days to file a claim establishing a prima facia case that there ISN'T probable cause that the cash was the instrumentality of a drug crime. Ever tried to prove a negative like that? Or the owner can simply default [which most will do, since $500 is about 2 1/2 hours of the time of an experienced defense counsel] Presto chango, the cash is forfeit to the feds and the ticket agent gets a cut.
Nice system, huh?
CJB
>----
>"Tucson is situated in beautiful mesquite riverbed country, overlooked by
>the snowy Catalina range. The city was one big construction job; the
>people transient, wild, ambitious, busy, gay; washlines, trailers;
>bustling downtown streets with banners..."
> - Jack Kerouac, _On the Road_
>