No, you should not wait. It is much better to get a free consultation from an attorney specializing in seizure and forfeiture to put your mind at ease about getting your vehicle, cash, and property back. They also know how much it might cost and how long the federal or state process takes.
When you Google the words “seizure and CBP” to get some info, AI or artificial intelligence recently produced this information: You will get a notice of seizure letter in about 30 days. (Feds have 60 days by law). AI will also tell you to consult a lawyer, which is smart, and why not if it is free? AI summaries will also tell you that filing a petition may be the wrong thing to do because there is no due process you or your lawyer can engage in, and there is no time limit on getting an answer from Customs, CBP, DEA, USPIS, or FBI.
The AI summary is true, and you may wonder what the heck is a petition? A petition is one of four “election of proceedings” offered in most seizure forfeiture cases.
The most important information AI summarizes is that you should NOT call CBP for advice if your car or vehicle is seized. This lawyer could not agree more with the AI summary. The CBP officers, no matter if the person is nice on the phone, have no reason to give you good advice (even if they knew how federal forfeiture under CAFRA works and most of them do not know how the Customs lawyers decide each case).
So, call a lawyer who knows forfeiture procedure and law and read their reviews. The Google or Yelp reviews should be specific about getting your car, currency, or property out of forfeiture seizure and written by the law firm’s clients. If the law firm is doing a good job for a fair fee, then you should be able to tell from past client reviews.
Then you won’t have the anxiety of waiting until the last minute and all the stress. Who needs that?
Call a forfeiture lawyer today. We are San Diego Defenders – Forfeiture Law Firm at (619) 258-8888- no charge and no pressure. We service all 50 states nationwide.
