1.    The following are subject to forfeiture:

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Terms Used In North Dakota Code 19-03.1-36

  • Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute means the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49
  • Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Person: means an individual, organization, government, political subdivision, or government agency or instrumentality. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49
  • Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
  • Process: means a writ or summons issued in the course of judicial proceedings. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49
  • Property: includes property, real and personal. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49
  • seal: includes an impression of such seal upon the paper alone as well as upon wax or a wafer affixed thereto. See North Dakota Code 1-01-38
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49

a.    All controlled substances which have been manufactured, distributed, dispensed, or acquired in violation of this chapter.

b.    All imitation controlled substances as defined by sections 19-03.2-01 and 19-03.2-02.

c.    All raw materials, products, and equipment of any kind which are used, or intended for use, in manufacturing, compounding, processing, delivering, importing, or exporting any controlled substance in violation of this chapter.

     d.    All property which is used, or intended for use, as a container for property described in subdivision a, b, or c.

e.    All conveyances, including aircraft, vehicles, or vessels, which are used, or intended for use, to transport, or in any manner to facilitate the transportation, for the purpose of sale or receipt of property described in subdivision a, b, or c, but:

(1) No conveyance used by any person as a common carrier in the transaction of business as a common carrier is subject to forfeiture under this section unless it appears that the owner or other person in charge of the conveyance is a consenting party or privy to a violation of this chapter.

(2) No conveyance is subject to forfeiture under this section by reason of any act or omission established by the owner thereof to have been committed or omitted without the owner’s knowledge or consent.

(3) A conveyance is not subject to forfeiture for a violation of subsection 7 of section 19-03.1-23 or subsection 3 of section 19-03.2-03.

(4) A forfeiture of a conveyance encumbered by a bona fide security interest is subject to the interest of the secured party if the secured party neither had knowledge of nor consented to the act or omission.

f.    All books, records, and research products and materials, including formulas, microfilm, tapes, and data which are used, or intended for use, in violation of this chapter.

g.    All drug paraphernalia as defined in chapter 19-03.4.

h.    All money, coin, currency, and everything of value furnished, or intended to be furnished, in exchange for a controlled substance in violation of this chapter or an imitation controlled substance in violation of chapter 19-03.2, and all real and personal property, assets, profits, income, proceeds, or an interest therein, acquired or derived from the unlawful purchase, attempted purchase, delivery, attempted delivery, manufacturing, or attempted manufacturing of any controlled substance or imitation controlled substance.

2.    Property subject to forfeiture under this chapter, except conveyances, may be seized by the board upon process issued by any district court having jurisdiction over the property. A conveyance subject to forfeiture under this chapter may be seized by a state, county, or city law enforcement agency upon process issued by any district court having jurisdiction over the conveyance. Seizure without process may be made if:

a.    The seizure is incident to an arrest or a search under a search warrant or an inspection under an administrative inspection warrant.

b.    The property subject to seizure has been the subject of a prior judgment in favor of the state in a criminal injunction or forfeiture proceedings based upon this chapter.

c.    The board or a law enforcement agency has probable cause to believe that the property is directly or indirectly dangerous to health or safety.

d.    The board or a law enforcement agency has probable cause to believe that the property was used or is intended to be used in violation of this chapter.

3.    In the event of seizure pursuant to subsection 2, proceedings under subsection 4 must be instituted promptly.

4.    Property taken or detained under this section is not subject to replevin, but is deemed to be in custody of the board or a law enforcement agency subject only to the orders and decrees of the district court having jurisdiction over the forfeiture proceedings as set out in subsection 2. When property is seized under this chapter, the board or a law enforcement agency may:

a.    Place the property under seal.

b.    Remove the property to a place designated by it.

c.    Require the attorney general to take custody of the property and remove it to an appropriate location for disposition in accordance with law.

5.    When property is forfeited under this chapter, the board or a law enforcement agency may:

    a.    Retain it for official use or transfer the custody or ownership of any forfeited property to any federal, state, or local agency. The board shall ensure the equitable transfer of any forfeited property to the appropriate federal, state, or local law enforcement agency so as to reflect generally the contribution of that agency participating directly in any of the acts that led to the seizure or forfeiture of the property. A decision to transfer the property is not subject to review.

b.    Sell that which is not required to be destroyed by law and which is not harmful to the public. The proceeds must be used for payment of all proper expenses of the proceedings for forfeiture and sale, including expenses of seizure, maintenance of custody, advertising, and court costs, with any remaining proceeds to be deposited, subject to section 54-12-14, in the appropriate state, county, or city general fund. When two or more law enforcement agencies are involved in seizing a conveyance, the remaining proceeds may be divided proportionately.

c. Require the attorney general to take custody of property and remove it for disposition in accordance with law.

d.    Forward it to the bureau for disposition.

e.    Use the property, including controlled substances, imitation controlled substances, and plants forfeited under subsections 6 and 7, in enforcement of this chapter. However, in a case involving the delivery of a forfeited controlled substance by a law enforcement officer or a person acting as an agent of a law enforcement officer, no prosecution or conviction for simple possession of a controlled substance under subsection 5 of section 19-03.1-23 may be based upon the forfeited controlled substances supplied by the law enforcement officer or the officer’s agent.

6.    Controlled substances as defined in this chapter and imitation controlled substances as defined in chapter 19-03.2 that are possessed, transferred, sold, or offered for sale in violation of this chapter and drug paraphernalia as defined in chapter 19-03.4 are contraband and must be seized and summarily forfeited to the state. Controlled substances as defined in this chapter and imitation controlled substances as defined in chapter 19-03.2, which are seized or come into the possession of the state and drug paraphernalia as defined in chapter 19-03.4, the owners of which are unknown, are contraband and must be summarily forfeited to the state.

7.    Species of plants from which controlled substances in schedules I and II may be derived which have been planted or cultivated in violation of this chapter, or of which the owners or cultivators are unknown, or which are wild growths, may be seized and summarily forfeited to the state.

8.    The failure, upon demand by the board, or its authorized agent, of the person in occupancy or in control of land or premises upon which the species of plants are growing or being stored to produce an appropriate registration, or proof that the person is the holder thereof, constitutes authority for the seizure and forfeiture of the plants.