In Re Us Currency, $844,520.00, Dennis Cole v. United States

Dennis Cole appeals district court orders denying his motion for return of property pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 41(e). Cole seeks to recover $844,520 that was administratively forfeited by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in June 1994. See 19 U.S.C. §§ 1607(a)(4), 1609; 21 U.S.C. § 881(a)(6). The money was seized after Cole was stopped for speeding on an interstate highway in western Missouri. Although Cole received timely notice of the DEA forfeiture action, he did not contest the forfeiture by filing a claim and bond, as 19 U.S.C. § 1608 requires. In these…