Swiss High Court Bans Some Seizures of Cash
<i> Reuters</i>
LAUSANNE, Switzerland — The state may not seize profits from illegal drug trading if they are subsequently used to pay an unsuspecting third party as part of a legitimate business deal, the Swiss Supreme Court ruled Monday.
The court ordered authorities to return $235,000 seized from a watch dealer in Biel in 1983.
Although prosecutors proved that a Turkish heroin dealer used his ill-gotten gains to pay for a shipment of Swiss watches, they did not prove that the watch dealer knew his payment stemmed from drug sales, the court said.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
