§ 3-2-35 — Seizure of contraband by commissioner and agents; proceedings upon seizure; hearing on entitlement to seized items; appeals; disposition of items upon which taxes have been paid

(a) The commissioner and his agents shall seize and take possession of any contraband found in the possession of any person in violation of this title. (b) Upon seizure, the commissioner or his agent shall give a receipt to the person from whom the contraband property was seized, if known, identifying the property seized and indicating from whom seized and the place of seizure. (c) A copy of the receipt shall be: (1) Filed in the office of the commissioner and shall be a public record open to public inspection; and (2) Posted at the courthouse of the county in which the contraband was seized. (d) Any person desiring to make claim to the contraband property shall file a claim with the commissioner at his office in Atlanta within ten days from the day of seizure. The commissioner, within 30 days of receipt of any such claim, shall afford the claimant a hearing in which to show his entitlement to the seized items. The burden of proof at such hearing shall be upon the claimant to establish his claim to the items seized and to show compliance with or justification for noncompliance with this Code section. The commissioner shall enter a written order granting or denying the claim within 30 days from the date of the hearing. (e) An appeal from the commissioner's order may be taken to the Superior Court of Fulton County by filing with the commissioner, within 15 days from the date of the decision, a copy of the petition for review filed in the Superior Court of Fulton County. The proceedings on the petition for review shall be governed by Chapter 3 of Title 5 except as provided otherwise in this Code section. The appeal shall be based upon the record made before the commissioner. The commissioner shall transmit the record and appropriate documents to the superior court within 30 days after the date the petition for review is received. The superior court shall review the record for errors of law, violation of constitutional or statutory provisions, violation of the statutory authority of the agency, lawfulness of the procedure, lack of any evidence to support the decision, and arbitrariness and abuse of discretion. However, the court shall not substitute its judgment for that of the hearing officer as to the weight of evidence on questions of fact. (f) All alcoholic beverages upon which the taxes have been paid to either this state or any other state shall be disposed of as follows: (1) In the case of malt beverage, the seized goods shall be destroyed by the commissioner or his authorized agent; (2) In the case of wine, the seized goods shall be sold by the commissioner at public sale, except that, where seized wine is determined by the commissioner to be unfit for human consumption, it shall be destroyed; (3) In the case of distilled spirits, the seized goods shall be sold by the commissioner at public sale, except that, where seized distilled spirits are determined by the commissioner to be unfit for human consumption, the distilled spirits shall be destroyed. (g) This Code section shall not apply to unlawfully manufactured alcoholic beverages.

Legislative History

Amended by 2022 Ga. Laws 875,§ 2-1, eff. 7/1/2023, app. to petitions for review filed in superior or state court on or after such date.