The Tyrrell County Sheriff’s Office received a check for $11,345 today from U.S. Marshall Scott Parker for their role in a 2012 drug case.

A drug case in Tyrrell County was investigated by the Tyrrell County Sheriff’s Office, N.C. Alcohol Law Enforcement and the Drug Enforcement Administration. When local and state law enforcement agencies participate in a case that results in assets being forfeited to the federal government, they can receive a percentage of the proceeds, based on the size of the role they played in the case. ALE received $3,781 in proceeds from this case in April.

“This demonstrates a good joint operation between federal,state, and local enforcement,” said Liverman.

Mike Troster,DEA resident  agent in charge, commented on how often he see asset forfeiture.

“It happens a lot. We get probably four or five hundred cases a year like this. That is just in my office. It does not count the four DEA offices,” he said.
Troster explained that if the DEA were to seize something unilaterally, the money would go into an asset forfeiture fund. Then any Department of Justice entity can pull it out.

“So for us, it makes a lot more sense to take the money and give to Sheriff Liverman. Then he can do something with it,” Troster pointed out.

Equitable sharing funds can be used for such law enforcement purposes as overtime, training, equipment, and conducting awareness programs.
Parker pointed out that if any of the four agencies had not done their job, the check would not have come.
“Here in Eastern North Carolina, we all work together,” Parker said.

The Marshals Service in the Eastern District of North Carolina has a long history of supporting the Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture Program and distributing equitable sharing funds to participating agencies.

“We are pleased that we had the opportunity to present the sheriff of Tyrrell County his first-ever equitable sharing payment, and we welcome Tyrrell County Sheriff’s office as a participant in the Equitable Sharing Program, along with the hundreds of other state, and local agencies in Eastern North Carolina,” said Parker.

Since its inception in 1984, asset forfeiture has become one of the most powerful tools for targeting criminals-including drug dealers and white collar criminals.