Section 67-1-93 - Petition for forfeiture of property other than alcoholic beverages and raw materials; service upon owner, secured or interested party; compliance with procedures(1) Except as otherwise provided in Section 67-1-99, when any property, other than an alcoholic beverage or raw material, is seized under this article or Chapter 31 of Title 97, Mississippi Code of 1972, proceedings under this section shall be instituted promptly.(2) A petition for forfeiture shall be filed promptly in the name of the State of Mississippi with the clerk of the circuit or county court of the county in which the seizure is made. A copy of such petition shall be served upon the following persons by service of process in the same manner as in civil cases: (a) The owner of the property, if address is known;(b) Any secured party who has registered his lien or filed a financing statement as provided by law, if the identity of such secured party can be ascertained by the agent or agency which seized the property making a good faith effort to ascertain the identity of such secured party as described in subsections (3), (4), (5), (6) and (7) of this section;(c) Any other bona fide lienholder or secured party or other person holding an interest in the property in the nature of a security interest of whom the agent or agency has actual knowledge; and(d) Any person in possession of property subject to forfeiture at the time that it was seized.(3) If the property is a motor vehicle susceptible of titling under the Mississippi Motor Vehicle Title Law and if there is any reasonable cause to believe that the vehicle has been titled, the agent or agency shall make inquiry of the State Tax Commission as to what the records of the State Tax Commission show as to who is the record owner of the vehicle and who, if anyone, holds any lien or security interest which affects the vehicle.(4) If the property is a motor vehicle and is not titled in the State of Mississippi then the agent or agency shall attempt to ascertain the name and address of the person in whose name the vehicle is licensed, and if the vehicle is licensed in a state which has in effect a certificate of title law, the agent or agency shall make inquiry of the appropriate agency of that state to determine through such agency's records the name of the record owner of the vehicle and who, if anyone, holds any lien, security interest or other instrument in the nature of a security device which affects the vehicle.(5) If the property is of a nature that a financing statement is required by the laws of this state to be filed to perfect a security interest affecting the property and if there is any reasonable cause to believe that a financing statement covering the security interest has been filed under the laws of this state, the agent or agency shall make inquiry of the appropriate office designated in Section 75-9-501 to determine through the records of such office the name of the record owner of the property and who, if anyone, has filed a financing statement affecting the property.(6) If the property is an aircraft or part thereof and if there is any reasonable cause to believe that an instrument in the nature of a security device affects the property, then the agent or agency shall make inquiry of the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to determine through records of the administrator the name of the record owner of the property and who, if anyone, holds an instrument in the name of a security device which affects the property.(7) In the case of all other property other than an alcoholic beverage or raw material subject to forfeiture, if there is any reasonable cause to believe that an instrument in the nature of a security device affects the property, then the agent or agency shall make a good faith inquiry to identify the holder of any such instrument.(8) In the event the answer to an inquiry states that the record owner of the property is any person other than the person who was in possession of it when it was seized, or states that any person holds any lien, security interest or other interest in the nature of a security interest which affects the property, the agent or agency shall cause any record owner and also any lienholder, secured party or other person who holds an interest in the property in the nature of a security interest which affects the property to be named in the petition of forfeiture and to be served with process in the same manner as in civil cases.(9) If the owner of the property cannot be found and served with a copy of the petition of forfeiture, or if no person was in possession of the property subject to forfeiture at the time that it was seized and the owner of the property is unknown, the agent or agency shall file with the clerk of the court in which the proceeding is pending an affidavit to such effect, whereupon the clerk of the court shall publish notice of the hearing addressed to "the Unknown Owner of ____________________," filling in the blank space with a reasonably detailed description of the property subject to forfeiture. Service by publication shall be made in accordance with the Mississippi Rules of Civil Procedure.(10) No proceedings instituted pursuant to the provisions of this article shall proceed to hearing unless the judge conducting the hearing is satisfied that this section has been complied with. Any answer received from an inquiry required by subsections (3) through (7) of this section shall be introduced into evidence at the hearing.Laws, 1984, ch. 424, § 3; Laws, 1990, ch. 451, § 1; Laws, 1991, ch. 573, § 117; Laws, 2001, ch. 495, § 26, eff. 1/1/2002.