Why don't I ever find these units...

livinglakecountry.com/lakecountryreporter/news/132608593.html?sort=last+to+first

Unreal!

Look at it this way... you probably saved yourself a whole TON of trouble. You find that in a locker ok and you "properly" dispose of the drugs at the dump or where ever. Keep the cash for yourself. Try and sell the guns only to find out they're in a police database, now you're in a whole different kind of mess.

You: "honest officer I just found them"

Then they find the drugs you tossed with your prints all over 'em.

Officer: uh huh right guy... and why didn't you turn it in if you "found" it. Come with me please sir...

LOL. I wonder what a storage buys actual liability is in a situation like that. What are they required to do,

if you turn in the drugs and weapons but keep the cash is that withholding evidence?
If you toss the drugs, sell the weapons, keep the cash are you and accessory to drug possession or worse?

has anyone dealt with a situation such as this before? Or have any experience?

Keeping the cash would be illegal in this scenario, but if we're being honest here, I would probably skim some of the cash, then get the proper people notified.

Doesn't seem like this came from an auction, though.

This is a all or nothing situation if it ever happens to one of us. Either you notify the police immediately, and they take the drugs, money, guns, and all the other property as evidence, and you lose your initial investment and all possible returns (you might be able to get the municipality to refund your bid on the unit but not 100% sure you would get your money back) OR... What drugs? What money? Never seen anything like that in a unit, no sir.

Definitely a lot of risk involved if you don't report a find of this size, primarily because it is very possible certain members of the local law enforcement already know it's in the unit, associated with the owner of the unit, or somewhere in the community and they are on the look out for it. It's hard to believe that there would not be several people tracking the wherabouts of $500,000 including law enforcement and the owners/dealers criminal associates.

My first impression is in a large city you might be able to quietly keep possession of this much money and nobody know about it, but in small to mid-size cities too many people are going to be sniffing around for that money trying to find out what happened to it.

I really don't want to find such a unit.  Don't want a target on my back from either the drug lords or the police.  If did find such a unit I would just back out of it, cuss for 5 mins, call the cops, and then cuss some more while wait for them to show up.

Other then the drugs you could have a chance of getting the other stuff back.  If they can't prove the car, atv, what ever was purchased with drug money or used in the comission of a crime you can petetion the courts for posession or such.  You have to get a lawyer involved and spend all sorts of time and money.  So not really worth it.

I would be like Matches and be very tempted to skim a few bills or a stack before turn-in.  Still wouldn't do it.  Just too honest for my own good sometimes.

I was thinking. Fat stacks of dope, tons of cash and weapons.

Seems like people would figure out what was going on with the unit before it could be bid on. If any of us ever do buy a locker with these things, I would assume that it would be much smaller sums.

In these quantities, it seems like it would be too obvious from the door.

$500,000 in cash, good luck trying to spend it, unless you would have a business or something to attempt to launder it through, can't deposit it in a bank cuz banks have to report transactions of $10,000( i believe) or more to the government.

You just sit on 500k in cash.  Then take 2-3k with you to auction and buy whatever you like, sell it at flea, etc. rinse and repeat.  Or take 3k and go gamble at the casino.  Just don't buy large ticket items, flash lots of cash, etc.

Myself - I still would just turn it over to the police.  There is even a remote posability that you could get it back.  That is a very small chance as they would petetion the court to keep it as "drug money" and you would have to fight them in court for the cash back.

I can legally possess the weed and the money and guns would be like any other locker. You find a $100 bill in a book and you don't turn it in. The amount doesn't matter.

My thing is the former owner is gonna want his money back and don't want some drug dealer showing up at my door!
I think I'd find an attorney and turn it in thru them. Best possible way to claim and have returned to you.....