Yesterday, while watching the news on television, I learned that the police had conducted an undercover operation and seized an extremely large amount of undeclared cash.
At that moment a question came to my mind: What happens to this undeclared money seized by the police, which comes from the sale of drugs or prostitution?
Does it ever come back into circulation as government money, or is it just kept in evidence/storage forever?
This is an whole circular economy, especially in states like Tennessee!
https://www.tn.gov/safety/tnhp/forfeit.html#:~:text=Law%20enforcement%20agencies%20may%20seize,of%20narcotics%2C%20illegal%20or%20prescription.
As a result, suing the state is a cottage legal industry.
https://action.aclu.org/legal-intake/tn-civil-asset-forfeiture-intake
It actually comes back to circulation where I live.
I just want to say that cash is a big problem. People have become dishonest because of it. With all technology going around, why not governments cut cash from use by banning it.
This is a major source of funding for many police departments. It definitely does not just sit in storage.