Suffolk County Police Auction Off Property Seized From Criminals

YAPHANK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – Have you ever wondered what happens to property seized from convicted criminals?

It's sold at a public auction, often at a fraction of its true cost.

That brought both bargain hunters and professionals together on Long Island to bid on an unusual array of goods Wednesday.

It's not something you see every day – people gathered outside Suffolk County police headquarters searching for a good deal. Yet every year, local Peggy Martin brings $100 hoping to figuratively "steal" some of the hundreds of items up for auction.

"The people here are a lot of fun. So even if you don't buy anything, it's fun just to come to the auction," she said.

Just look at the smiles on the faces of one couple that walked away with two massage tables for just $15.

"You can't beat that price! And they look fairly new," said Mery Tavares, of  Medford. "My husband's going to give me a massage!"

Her husband, Angel, said whatever his wife wants.

"Happy wife," he said.

"Happy life," she added.

The bidders range from everyday citizens trying to save a few bucks to pros who resell the merchandize in second-hand stores or online.

A bidding war between two pros ended with Sean Lahti taking home the so-called mystery box where bidders blindly take their chances on what's inside.

"I can't tell anybody what's in the mystery box," Lahti said. "I paid a lot of money for it. Part of the fun is to keep it a mystery. How would it be fun if everybody knew?"

The losing mystery box bidder said it's all in the game, recalling how he once successfully bid on a marijuana grow lamp seized from drug dealers.

"The police catch them, they put them up for auction, we buy them, we sell them back to the criminals, the criminals get caught again, and the come back!" he said. "As the auctioneer says, it's the wheel of life – I mean, the circle of life."

That's why the bidders say they'll eagerly circle back again next year.

Police say anyone can bid as long as they have cash and a means to take the property away.