Victor Marquez was traveling to his hometown in Querétero, Mexico, to pay for his new home only to have the money seized by police alleging it was drug money.

During the May 5, 2008, traffic stop in Loxley, Ala., a police officer confiscated more than $19,000 from Marquez even though he earned a majority of the money by working the bean harvest in south Florida. There was no evidence that the money was earned through illegal activities, and Marquez was not charged. The Southern Poverty Law Center has taken legal action seeking the return of he money.

The SPLC's legal response asserted that the state could not prove the money was connected to drug activity. It also contended that the confiscation was a violation of the United States and Alabama constitutions.

During the discovery phase of the suit, state prosecutors decided to drop the case and return Marquez's money.