1316.98—Substitute res bond in a judicial forfeiture action against a conveyance.
(a)
Where a conveyance is being forfeited in a judicial proceeding for a drug-related offense, the owner may obtain release of the property by filing a substitute res bond with the seizing agency. The conveyance will be released to the owner upon the payment of a bond in the amount of the appraised value of the conveyance if it is not evidence of a violation of law or has design or other characteristics that particularly suit it for use in illegal activities. This bond must be in the form of a traveler's check, a money order, a cashier's check or an irrevocable letter of credit made payable to the Department of Justice or to the United States Customs Service depending on which agency seized the conveyance. A bond in the form of a cashier's check will be considered as paid once the check has been accepted for payment by the financial institution which issued the check.
(b)
If a substitute res bond is filed and the conveyance is judicially forfeited, the court will forfeit the bond in lieu of the property.