New Jersey Statutes 2C:64-1. Property subject to forfeiture
Terms Used In New Jersey Statutes 2C:64-1
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- 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: includes corporations, companies, associations, societies, firms, partnerships and joint stock companies as well as individuals, unless restricted by the context to an individual as distinguished from a corporate entity or specifically restricted to one or some of the above enumerated synonyms and, when used to designate the owner of property which may be the subject of an offense, includes this State, the United States, any other State of the United States as defined infra and any foreign country or government lawfully owning or possessing property within this State. See New Jersey Statutes 1:1-2
- State: extends to and includes any State, territory or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia and the Canal Zone. See New Jersey Statutes 1:1-2
a. Any interest in the following shall be subject to forfeiture and no property right shall exist in them:
(1) Controlled dangerous substances; firearms which are unlawfully possessed, carried, acquired or used; illegally possessed gambling devices; untaxed or otherwise contraband cigarettes or tobacco products; unlawfully possessed container e-liquid; untaxed special fuel; unlawful sound recordings and audiovisual works; and items bearing a counterfeit mark. These shall be designated prima facie contraband.
(2) All property which has been, or is intended to be, utilized in furtherance of an unlawful activity, including, but not limited to, conveyances intended to facilitate the perpetration of illegal acts, or buildings or premises maintained for the purpose of committing offenses against the State.
(3) Property which has become or is intended to become an integral part of illegal activity, including, but not limited to, money which is earmarked for use as financing for an illegal gambling enterprise.
(4) Proceeds of illegal activities, including, but not limited to, property or money obtained as a result of the sale of prima facie contraband as defined by subsection a. (1), proceeds of illegal gambling, prostitution, bribery and extortion.
(5) An all-terrain vehicle or dirt bike which has been operated on a public street, highway, or right-of-way in violation of section 17 of P.L.1973, c.307 (C. 39:3C-17) in a municipality that has passed an ordinance declaring that such all-terrain vehicles or dirt bikes so operated pose an immediate threat to the public health, safety, or welfare and designating such vehicles as contraband as authorized by subsection e. of section 1 of P.L.2019, c.505 (C. 39:3C-35).
b. Any article subject to forfeiture under this chapter may be seized by the State or any law enforcement officer as evidence pending a criminal prosecution pursuant to N.J.S. 2C:64-4 or, when no criminal proceeding is instituted, upon process issued by any court of competent jurisdiction over the property, except that seizure without such process may be made when not inconsistent with the Constitution of this State or the United States, and when
(1) The article is prima facie contraband; or
(2) The property subject to seizure poses an immediate threat to the public health, safety or welfare.
c. For the purposes of this section:
“Items bearing a counterfeit mark” means items bearing a counterfeit mark as defined in section 1 of P.L.1997, c.57 (C. 2C:21-32).
“Unlawful sound recordings and audiovisual works” means sound recordings and audiovisual works as those terms are defined in section 1 of P.L.1991, c.125 (C. 2C:21-21) which were produced in violation of section 1 of P.L.1991, c.125 (C. 2C:21-21).
“Unlawfully possessed container e-liquid” means container e-liquid as defined in section 2 of P.L.1990, c.39 (C. 54:40B-2) that is possessed for retail sale by a person that is not licensed as a vapor business pursuant to section 4 of P.L.2019, c.147 (C. 54:40B-3.3).
“Untaxed special fuel” means diesel fuel, No. 2 fuel oil and kerosene on which the motor fuel tax imposed pursuant to R.S.54:39-1 et seq. is not paid that is delivered, possessed, sold or transferred in this State in a manner not authorized pursuant to R.S.54:39-1 et seq. or P.L.1938, c.163 (C. 56:6-1 et seq.).
amended 1979, c.344, s.1; 1981, c.290, s.46; 1992, c.23, s.70; 2004, c.150, s.3; 2011, c.80, s.4; 2019, c.147, s.10; 2021, c.353, s.2.