Pubdate: Fri, 27 Nov 2009
Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB)
Copyright: 2009 The Edmonton Journal
Contact: http://www2.canada.com/edmontonjournal/letters.html
Website: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134
Author: Cigdem Iltan
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/af.htm (Asset Forfeiture)

DRUG-RELATED VEHICLE SEIZURE LAW PARKS DIAL-A-DOPERS

The Alberta government and local police are targeting dial-a-doper 
drug operations in Edmonton under a civil act that allows the 
province to seize property and sell it before the owner is convicted, 
Alberta's Justice Minister Alison Redford said on Thursday.

"This law was developed to disrupt the daily business of gangs and to 
try to prevent the victimization of our communities--and it's 
working," Redford said.

"The only thing these mobile dealers require to run their drug 
business is a car and a cellphone. If we can seize the car of a drug 
dealer, that's one less drug dealer doing business."

The Victims Restitution and Compensation Payment Act became law last fall.

It allows the province's Civil Forfeiture Office to ask the court to 
seize illegally acquired property and property used in crimes.

Property valued at about $11 million, including 61 vehicles, has been 
seized since the province introduced the act, Redford said.

Forty-three of the vehicles seized under the act were in Edmonton, she said.

While the Civil Forfeiture Office can sell an accused person's 
property before court cases are concluded, the law does not sidestep 
the criminal process, Edmonton police Chief Mike Boyd said.

"For many different reasons previous to this legislation, we were 
telling our communities we're out there, we're working for you," Boyd said.

"The problem was communities didn't feel that immediate difference 
because these criminals and criminal organizations were able to 
continue to operate.

"The effectiveness of this legislation enables us to make an 
immediate difference that's going to help disrupt, dismantle and stop 
these criminals from operating."

The government was met with skepticism last year when the law was 
introduced, but the Supreme Court of Canada has reviewed similar 
legislation in Ontario and ruled it is not unconstitutional, Redford said.

"The people who were skeptical last year as to whether or not we'd be 
able to have our legislation upheld were proven wrong. The 
legislation is constitutional. We haven't had any constitutional 
challenges here," she said.

The money raised after the Civil Forfeiture Office auctions of the 
property goes into a victim's compensation fund for people directly 
affected by crime or for organizations who help people affected by 
crime, Redford said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom