CBP Changes Forfeiture Procedures to Provide Earlier Public Notice
CBP is changing its procedures for seizures and forfeitures so that it will now provide public notice of an impending forfeiture at the same time it notifies parties with a potential interest in the goods, the agency said in a notice released May 15.
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Currently, CBP sends a written notice to potentially interested parties, and waits for the deadline for a response to pass before publishing a Notice of Seizure and Intent to Forfeit online at www.forfeiture.gov and, if required, posting the notice at the relevant CBP office. Going forward, CBP will now publish the Notice of Seizure and Intent to Forfeit at the same time it sends the written notice.
“CBP will no longer wait for the timeframe for filing a claim or petition to expire before publishing or posting the Notice of Seizure and Intent to Forfeit,” the agency said.
The change “will enable CBP to process seizures and forfeitures more efficiently,” CBP said in the notice. “By notifying the public earlier in the process, all parties with a potential interest in the property will be identified earlier. Additionally, CBP expects that the overall processing time for seizures will decrease, allowing it to spend fewer resources on storage, inventory, and other administrative functions related to managing seized property,” the agency said.
CBP said the change requires no modification to its regulations, and all “interested parties will continue to be subject to the applicable requirements and deadlines specified by statute and in CBP’s regulations.”