Pubdate: Wed, 31 Jan 2001 Source: Gazette, The (CO) Copyright: 2001 The Gazette Contact: Tell it to The Gazette, P.O.Box 1779, Colorado Springs CO 80901 Fax: (719) 636-0202 Website: http://www.gazette.com/ Author: Barry Bortnick Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/af.htm (Asset Forfeiture) SPOILS OF DRUG WARS Colorado Agencies Split Millions From Drug Dealer DENVER - Who says crime doesn't pay? Certainly not the handful of federal and metro-area law enforcement officials who shared the spoils of America's drug war Tuesday, nearly one year after a marijuana trafficker killed himself in Kansas, leaving behind nearly $10 million in tainted cash. "It is poetic justice to put back in the hands of law enforcement money accrued by criminal activity," said U.S. Attorney Tom Strickland Tuesday as he passed out massive checks to representatives from Englewood, Aurora, Douglas County, Chaffee County, the Salida Police Department and other state law agencies. The cash represented the largest amount of money ever seized in a Colorado drug investigation, Strickland said. The money was distributed among police agencies that took part in the investigation. The various agencies expect to use the money to buy additional law enforcement equipment. The cash lottery came on the heels of an extensive investigation into a marijuana smuggling ring led by Robert Henry Golding, whose run from the law ended badly Jan. 14, 2000, in Colby, Kan. A local lawman stopped Golding, 41, for making an illegal U-turn. Rather than surrender, Golden struggled with the officer, pulled out a semi-automatic handgun and shot himself in the mouth. Colby cops later found more than $3 million in cash, as well as marijuana, false identification documents and blank birth certificates in his car. Hours earlier, Colorado authorities searched a storage locker in Fort Collins that was linked to Golding. Inside they found $6 million in cash. Federal agents had arrested Golding on drug charges in August 1999 for trying to sell more than 200 pounds of pot in Lakewood. Court records indicate Golding planned to cooperate with authorities. Believing Golding would help Drug Enforcement Administration agents arrest his boss, the suspect was allowed to go free while his 1999 case moved through federal court. "He was more useful to us out of prison," Strickland said, when asked why Golding was allowed to go free. Golding, who was known to make money transactions in such places as Luxembourg and Dubai under various aliases, vanished after being turned loose. He remained at large until he made that fatal U-turn in Kansas. More than half of the seized cash was distributed among several police and sheriff's agencies Tuesday. The Englewood Department of Safety Services received $1.15 million. The Aurora Police Department and the Douglas County Sheriff's Department each received about $1 million. The remaining $2.5 million will be handed over to the federal government. - --- MAP posted-by: GD