U.S. Customs and Border Protection is seeking
authority to eliminate requirements that it post notice of seizures in local
and port newspapers. Current regulations require “administrative seizure and
forfeiture notices for at least three successive weeks in a newspaper
circulated at the customs port and in the judicial district where CBP seized
the property.”
Additionally, CBP is required to attempt to notify
all known parties-in-interest in advance of publication. However, attempting to
notify known parties doesn’t require that the parties actually be notified.
Dusenbery v US – 534
U.S. 161 (2002) It requires taking steps “reasonably calculated” to achieve
notification.
Under CBP’s proposal, public notice would be
satisfied by posting forfeiture updates on the Department of Justice’s
forfeiture web site, www.forfeiture.gov, in lieu of newspapers. Read more here.
