United States v. $76,000.00 In U.S. Currency

I. INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND

On December 3, 2021, plaintiff United States of America filed a verified complaint for forfeiture against defendant $76,000.00 in U.S. currency pursuant to 21 U.S.C. § 881 (a)(6). Dkt. 1 (“Compl.”) at 1. Defendant currency was seized during a traffic stop of Carlos Gomez Munoz (“claimant”) on March 23, 2021, in San Dimas, California. Id. 4 5. Defendant currency is currently in the United States Marshals Service’s custody, where it will remain during the pendency of this action. Id. at § 6. This case stems from an investigation conducted by Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) into the narcotics trafficking activities of an identified subject, UM22, who was based in Los Angeles County. DEA agents determined that UM22 was coordinating the distribution of methamphetamine and cocaine in California, and sending remittances to sources in Mexico. Id. { 8. On March 19, 2021, Los Angeles County Superior Judge Larry P. Fidler authorized the interception of all wire and telephone data used by UM22. Id. 99. Through the wire-intercepted calls, the DEA agents discovered that UM22 was coordinating the delivery of narcotics proceeds with claimant. …