United States v. 418 57th Street

IRVING R. KAUFMAN, Circuit Judge:

The civil drug forfeiture statute, 21 U.S.C. § 881(a)(7) (1988), was enacted as part of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 (“the *130Act”). Frustrated in its efforts to curtail the proliferation of illegal drug use in this country, Congress created a statute of enormous scope and potency. The law provides for an action in rem against any conveyance, currency or real property used to facilitate narcotics-related activities. Id. Because it is a civil statute, section 881 imparts comparatively few of the traditional due process guarantees…