That's a bit generous of a TL;DR, don't you think? The reason civil asset forfeiture is controversial is that property can be seized even when a crime has not

That's a bit generous of a TL;DR, don't you think? The reason civil asset forfeiture is controversial is that property can be seized even when a crime has not actually occurred but is merely alleged, and the owner of the property has not been proven guilty of a crime. There are dirty cops who have taken people's cash on the basis of trumped up charges. This isn't the first time this has been reported on in the US.