Fate of

seized

property

uncertain

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Between now and the time when 18 different people appear in court, the law enforcement agencies who claim credit for last Wednesday's drug raid are going to spend their time deciding who claims what part of the loot.

The loot in question is six cars, about 80 grams of cocaine and methamphetamine and some personal property, seized in what officials believe was the largest undercover narcotics sting in Brown County's history.

With trials awaiting those charged in the raid, the question remains -- what happens to all of the loot that was seized.

Erv Weinkauf, commander of the New Ulm Police Department, said most of the narcotics seized in the raid are being tested a second time by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension at a laboratory in St. Paul.

The half-dozen cars are being checked for property liens, for which NUPD must serve notices of seizure to the lienholders and either pay the liens off or release the cars, Weinkauf said. Lienholders have a 30-day appeal period to contest a vehicle seizure in court.

"Often, the criminal process comes first," he said. "It's time-consuming and we can only get so much done up to this point."

Weinkauf said the other agencies that were a part of the operation, namely the Brown County Sheriff's Department, Brown-Lyon-Redwood Drug Task Force, the State Patrol and the Department of Natural Resources, are working on how to divide up the confiscated money and property.

Weinkauf said NUPD isn't going to keep 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of seized property and the confiscated money. Instead, he said he expects the five different agencies to work it out among themselves.

"The point to make here is that there definitely is a serious drug problem in New Ulm. We're not unique; it's the same as areas around us."

Weinkauf said surrounding counties like Nicollet, Sibley, Watonwan and Blue Earth, have seen higher numbers of arrests for narcotics because of K-9 units using dogs trained to detect drugs.

Weinkauf said the narcotics seized in the raid will be used in the 18 defendants court trials and then destroyed. The vehicles that aren't returned to their lienholders could be sold at an auction if they aren't kept as evidence.