by Hunter Dublin | May 12, 2022
The U.S Department of Justice has abandoned its aggressive legal move to seize $1 million in cash from an armed car transporting the money for state-licensed marijuana businesses operating within California bounds. A retreat that signals that despite being illegal under federal law, these outlets may still continue operations as long as they're compliant with local regulations where it resides.
The $1.1 million in cash seizures made last year by San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies were tied to federal drug or money laundering crimes. Still, nobody was charged - giving rise to the suspicion that Biden's Justice Department under President Obama may have been working to hinder the operations of licensed marijuana businesses across California as well as 36 other states which have legalized pot possession.
Empyreal Logistics has been fighting the FBI and Sheriff's Department for months over their cash seizures from Empyreal's vehicles. On Friday, U.S District Court Judge Fred W Slaughter dismissed this case after both parties reached an agreement to settle the dispute without any further litigation needed.
"The government decided that it was in everyone's best interest to drop all charges and return the money," said Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for U.S Attorney's Office in Los Angeles. He would not elaborate on why this happened but did say: "This decision has been made considering everything."
The case of the FBI and U.S attorney's office in Los Angeles has raised allegations of abuse with regards to forfeit procedures after more than a dozen lawsuits were filed against them last year due to an improper procedure.
The authorities seized tens of millions of cash-valued items from safe deposit boxes located within Beverly Hills without producing any evidence that would back up their claim as legitimate criminal wrongdoing.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department and FBI have agreed to split the proceeds from a cash seizure during an operation last week. The funds will go towards both agencies and their respective budgets after all parties involved demonstrate that they were acting in good faith when conducting these searches.
"Both sides agree that Empyreal is part of the solution to help with financial transparency and San Bernardino sheriffs are not highway robbers as previously reported in headlines," according to this recent statement released by both parties after litigation kicked off last year between them over California Law involving cash transported for licensed marijuana businesses."
Empyreal, a company that provides security services for marijuana dispensaries and other clients in many states, is committed to complying with U.S Treasury Department guidelines on how they handle cash deliveries from state-licensed businesses despite being at risk due to the Justice Department's policies toward these operations which have left them vulnerable because of federal law enforcement actions against such operations across America.
President Trump has rescinded the 2013 memo from then-Deputy Attorney General James Cole that advised U.S attorneys in states with legal marijuana to ignore all but the most severe cases, like those involving violent gangsters or cartels—but federal pot prosecutions remain rare even after Mr. Garland's advice under Biden where he told Congress there were no excellent uses for limited resources on opioid and methamphetamine epidemics while also saying these types crimes should be reinvestigated if they arise again.
The federal government continues to pursue marijuana dealers, although some states have legalized it for medical or recreational use. HOWEVER, the U.S attorney's office in Kansas does not agree with this decision and is currently trying its best to avoid any conflicts by endeavoring legal proceedings against those who sell drugs illegally throughout various regions within America.
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