B.C. launches forfeiture process over SUV, $12,770 seized in Kelowna stop

The City of Kelowna Police Services building on Richter Street houses the Kelowna RCMP detachment.

Photo credit: City of Kelowna

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KELOWNA — B.C.’s Civil Forfeiture Office has initiated an administrative forfeiture proceeding over a Land Rover and $12,770 in cash seized by Kelowna RCMP during a July 5 traffic stop that is also the subject of ongoing civil litigation.

The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General confirmed the forfeiture proceeding in response to questions from the Boundary Sentinel and provided an Aug. 20 notice published in the B.C. Gazette.

According to the notice, Kelowna RCMP seized a 2021 Land Rover with Alberta licence plate CTX5135, $6,500 in cash and another $6,270 in cash at Harvey Avenue near Ethel Street on July 5.

The Gazette notice states that the property was “obtained by and/or used in the commission of an offence.” That wording represents the basis asserted by the Civil Forfeiture Office for the proceeding and is not a criminal conviction or a finding that an offence has been proven.

Administrative forfeiture allows the province to pursue certain property without first commencing a court forfeiture action. A person claiming an interest in the property can file a notice disputing the forfeiture within the period set out under the Civil Forfeiture Act.

It is not known whether a notice of dispute has been filed in this case. The property has not been established as forfeited, and the current physical location of the vehicle and cash has not been confirmed.

Kelowna RCMP declined to comment on the circumstances surrounding the stop, search or seizure.

“As the matter is the subject of ongoing civil litigation, the RCMP will not be providing comment,” Cpl. Steven Lang, a media relations officer with the Kelowna detachment, told the Sentinel.

The Civil Forfeiture Office’s proceeding is separate from the civil litigation surrounding the July 5 stop. The Sentinel has not yet obtained the filed Notice of Civil Claim and is therefore not reporting the specific allegations or remedies sought in that lawsuit.

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