FBI BURST ANONYMOUS SAFE DEPOSIT OUTLET IN BEVERLY HILLS

The  FBI raids a Beverly Hills business where you can rent safety deposit boxes anonymously. Agents seize contents of every box, leaving a note that customers must identify themselves to retrieve their valuables. Prosecutors alleged the seemingly mundane business wedged between a nail salon and a spa was laundering money for drug dealers and letting them stash guns, fentanyl and stacks of $100 bills in security boxes that were rented anonymously. Prosecutors also alleged that an owner and employees of the company were involved in drug sales that took place at the business and helped customers convert cash into gold in amounts that would avoid suspicion.This give a cue of a legal battle to unfold soon.

This is a pretty gross overreach of federal power. But I’m assuming it’s calculated to bring some of the players to light. The FBI knows they will eventually have to return the contents of each box outside of the scope of the executed warrant. Assuming there’s no conspiracy. I don’t understand why they didn’t just track the people depositing in that place. They have to pay for the service somehow. Why go through all the legal hoops when there’s a simpler way.

They don’t have the budget or the personnel to do that so they’re going the lazy route, grabbing everything and forcing ppl to prove they’re not criminals to get their shit back. The people don't have to do that though. Eventually the FBI will have to give the stuff back or the people can just sue the FBI. Unless the FBI had some kind of warrant then they can't just take the stuff and illegal products found illegally are inadmissible in court.

It may turn out that every single box had guns and/or fentanyl but I was commenting on the probability of the feds just deciding to grab the whole place and making it someone else’s problem getting their shit back. The court battle will be interesting. In most instances of civil forfeiture it would be hard to sue. This case will be easy as hell to win.