An armored car business that transports money from licensed cannabis businesses is asking a federal judge for a restraining order against the FBI and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department in a case alleging the illegal seizure of more than $1 million during a pair of traffic stops in the Southern California desert.
Pennsylvania-based Empyreal Logistics filed a lawsuit in federal court this month and wants further protection against U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and others, claiming the seizures last November and on Jan. 6 were “highway robbery,” the Orange County Register reported. The sheriff’s department and the FBI have denied any wrongdoing, and the filing could impede investigations into money laundering or illegal drug sales.
Deputies with the sheriff’s department pulled over the cars on a freeway near Barstow, a pit stop on the way to Las Vegas. The department heads a narcotics task force with federal partnerships.
“This is among the more egregious forfeiture cases that we’ve ever seen,” Empyreal attorney Dan Alban told the Los Angeles Times.
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Sheriff Shannon Dicus said in an opposition motion that the case is “a special interest crusade against the lawful civil forfeiture process and a blatant attempt to interfere with ongoing local criminal investigations.”
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California allows the sale of marijuana, though possession and sale are still federal crimes.
