UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. $49,576.00 U.S. CURRENCY, Defendant, Francisco Lombera, Claimant-Appellant

Opinion by Judge Kozinski; Concurrence by Judge Hall.

KOZINSKI, Circuit Judge.

We consider whether the government has met its burden of proof in a civil forfeiture action.

I

On January 31, 1994, appellant was detained and searched by a Drug Enforcement *427Administration Narcotics Task Force at the Ontario International Airport .in Ontario, California. The agents had been notified by an American Airlines desk agent in Dallas, Texas that someone named “Jacinto Rodriguez” had purchased a one-way ticket in cash just minutes before flight number 533 to Ontario departed. While passengers were disembarking…