> Whether it's a stolen car, drugs, or money made from selling a stolen car and drugs. It's all (mostly) similar.

It's not that similar IMO. Stolen cars have owners to whom you can return the property, or litigants who can sue you to replace it. But selling contraband, unlike theft, doesn't have a victim that can be compensated by returning the proceeds. The government steps in and declares themselves the victims of this crime and claims the proceeds.

That's like being found with a bloody knife and they arrest you and you say you're "guilty until proven innocent". In reality the standard is preponderance of evidence and you are ignoring the fact that courts have ruled that being found with large volumes of cash is itself suspicious.