the government could seize my house and land and evict us from our home without convicting me of any crime, indeed without so much as charging me with one. He explained that my house and garden can be “convicted” of the crime of manufacturing opium regardless of whether I am ever charged, let alone convicted, of that offense. Under the civil forfeiture statute, the standard of proof is much lower than in a criminal prosecution; the government need only demonstrate “a preponderance of the evidence” that my property was involved in a violation of the drug laws
