The York County Drug Task Force held its annual spring auction, selling cars previously owned by drug dealers.
The auction included 40 cars and more than 400 smaller items, including TVs, gaming systems and even lawn equipment. The cars are sold “as is,” with no guarantees or warranties, and bidders do not get to test drive them.
But despite that, bidders were excited to get their hands on attention-getting luxury cars. A 2000 Jaguar 3.0 went for $2,400 and a 1999 BMW 3281 sold for $2,700.
“That was amazing,” says Norma Johnson of York, the Jaguar’s new owner. “I didn’t think we would get it at that price, that was a steal.”
She says she doesn’t care that the car was either involved in a drug crime, or bought with its profits. “They had it, they lost it, now I have it,” Johnson says.
All the money from the auction goes to support the investigations and day-to-day operations of the Drug Task Force.
“Illegal drugs produce a lot of money, our job is to take it away from those people,” says York County District Attorney Tom Kearney. “And it’s ironic that it goes back to combat the very scourge that we try and stop.”