Irvine : Police Wait for Cash From Drug Seizures

Irvine soon should be getting its share of money from the sale of assets seized in narcotics cases after the City Council unanimously approved a plan to create a special account for such funds.

Under recently enacted state and federal guidelines, local police participating in drug arrests may receive a percentage of the value of goods seized. Irvine police last year, working in cooperation with state and federal agents, seized nearly $800,000 in assets held by drug traffickers, according to Sgt. Leo Jones of the Irvine Police Department’s narcotics squad.

However, Jones said, the amount that Irvine will get back depends on several factors, including whether individual arrests were made with the cooperation of state or federal agencies--which each pay differently--and how much Irvine spent on the drug investigations.

The council’s action this week was a legal step the city had to take in order to receive the funds. Applications for the fund-sharing scheme had already been filed and Irvine police, Jones said, now are waiting for the cash.

“It’s like the old statement, ‘The check is in the mail,’ ” he said. “We’re just waiting for the check to get here.”

Under California law, drug traffickers must be convicted in a criminal court before civil action can be undertaken to strip them of cash, cars, contraband or other assets. Under the 1984 federal Criminal Control Act, inability to prove that the assets were gained legally is sufficient for seizure.

The extra money that will be going into the Irvine narcotics asset fund cannot be used for anything other than additional drug enforcement measures.