US suspends controversial asset forfeiture program targeting airline travelers

Global IT outages at Newark International Airport

By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The US Deputy Attorney General has suspended a controversial civil asset forfeiture program by the Drug Enforcement Administration that targeted unsuspecting airline passengers and subjected them to unlawful seizures of cash from their bags.

The Justice Department’s Inspector General Michael Horowitz announced the suspension of the DEA’s program by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco in a new report released on Thursday that raised grave concerns about the program and whether some of the searches were conducted legally.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch)