Proceeds Of Forfeited Drug Property Go To Boundary County And Idaho

COEUR D’ALENE – United States Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced today that the United States Marshals Service recently sold one of the real properties forfeited in the Robert Wayne Baucum criminal case. Baucum and four other defendants were charged and pled to conspiracy to manufacture, and possess with intent to distribute, marijuana, including at least 1,000 marijuana plants. The Raccoon Lane property in Boundary County sold for approximately $235,000.00. The proceeds from that property sale will now be shared with the Boundary County Prosecutor’s Office and the Idaho State Police, who will each receive approximately $80,000.

As part of their plea agreements, defendants agreed to forfeit properties involved in their violations and the proceeds they obtained. The properties included nine parcels of real property located in Idaho, Oregon and Alaska; currency; and personal properties including vehicles, gold and silver coins and motorcycles. Requests for equitable sharing and requests to place forfeited personal properties into official use may continue to be awarded to state and local law enforcement who assisted in the investigation.

The Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture Program is a nationwide law enforcement initiative that removes the tools of crime from criminal organizations, deprives wrongdoers of the proceeds of their crimes, recovers property that may be used to compensate victims, and deters crime. Asset forfeiture has become one of the most powerful tools for targeting criminals—including drug dealers and white collar criminals—who prey on the vulnerable for financial gain. One of the most important provisions of the asset forfeiture laws is the sharing back of federal forfeiture proceeds with state and local law enforcement agencies via the DOJ Equitable Sharing Program. This program enables state and local law enforcement agencies to offset some of their costs in working together with federal agencies to investigate and prosecute complex and large-scale crime. It serves not only to deter crime but also to provide valuable additional resources to state and local law enforcement agencies through their direct participation in an investigation or prosecution that results in a federal forfeiture. Since its inception more than 30 years ago, the program has resulted in millions of dollars being shared with the Idaho State Police, county sheriffs and city police departments throughout the state.