<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">S.2449
Title: A bill to amend the Controlled Substance Act relating to the forfeiture of currency in connection with illegal drug offenses, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Cleland, Max [GA] (introduced 9/8/1998) Cosponsors: 1
Latest Major Action: 9/8/1998 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

Drug Currency Forfeitures Act - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to create a rebuttable presumption that property is subject to forfeiture if the Government offers a reasonable basis to believe that, based on specified circumstances, there is a substantial connection between the property and a drug trafficking offense. Includes among such circumstances that: (1) the property at issue is currency in excess of $10,000 that was being transported through an airport, on a highway, or at a port-of-entry and was packaged or concealed in a highly unusual manner, was being transported by a person who provided false information to any inspection officer, was found near a measurable quantity of a controlled substance, or was the subject of a positive alert by a trained dog; (2) the property at issue was acquired during a time period by a person who was engaged in a drug trafficking offense and there is no other likely source for such property; (3) the property at issue was, or was intended to be, transported, transmitted, or transferred to or from a major drug-transit country, illicit drug producing country, or money laundering country, and specified other conditions are met; or (4) any person involved in the transaction giving rise to the forfeiture action has been convicted in any Federal, State, or foreign jurisdiction of a drug trafficking offense or a felony involving money laundering, or is a fugitive from prosecution for such an offense.

Amends the Federal criminal code provisions concerning money laundering forfeitures to create a rebuttable presumption that property is the proceeds of an offense involving the felonious manufacture, importation, or other dealing in a controlled substance, and thus constitutes the proceeds of specified unlawful activity, if any of the circumstances set forth above apply.</font>