Customs' Management of Seized and Forfeited Cars, Boats, and Planes

GAO discussed the Customs Service's management of seized and forfeited cars, boats, and planes. GAO found that: (1) Customs has established time frames for completing the administrative work required to dispose of seized and forfeited conveyances, but the forms used to track and monitor the status of individual seized and forfeited conveyances are not always filled out promptly; (2) authorization forms for disposal of forfeited conveyances are not always returned to district offices or acted on in a timely manner; (3) the Miami district office uses a manual system to process and track seized assets, which does not safeguard the assets from waste and loss; (4) inadequate internal controls have caused delays in the disposal of forfeited conveyances, which has resulted in unnecessary storage and maintenance costs and missed opportunities to obtain a higher return from the sale of the assets; (5) Customs is establishing a system which will follow cases through the forfeiture and disposal process and provide it with tighter control over seized conveyances and the ability to promptly follow up on those cases that do not move through the system quickly.