Cash Flow

An editorial in the Dallas Morning News examines efforts to stop drug cartels from smuggling cash from the American to the Mexican side of the border. Evidently, last year $1.6 billion in mostly cash assets were seized by federal authorities, with local Texas PD's confiscating another $125 million. The local guys have used the money to buy cruisers, rifles, and all sorts of other fun stuff. The editorial warns that for local police, 

[D]rug dollars can be just as addictive as drugs. They produce an artificial feeling of financial well being, and those who become dependent on drug money soon find themselves scrambling to get more. That's where the danger lies.

Concerns are growing that police departments are overenthusiastically enforcing forfeiture laws, using dubious pretexts to stop motorists and search their belongings. Large, though not necessarily illegal, amounts of cash are being seized without any criminal charges filed.

This is an often overlooked subject that could use a much deeper examination. Well freelance journalists, how 'bout it?