CASH SEIZED ON I-40

Nearly $50,000 in cash was seized by Sampson County Sheriff's
authorities during a traffic stop on Interstate 40 Thursday,
according to a press release from the Sheriff's Office. The money has
been turned over to federal authorities and charges may be
forthcoming against the driver, authorities said.

According to information from sheriff's authorities, the stop was
made at about 2:30 p.m. on a black Cadillac traveling on I-40.
Members of the sheriff's Highway Enforcement Awareness Team conducted
the investigative stop and a K-9 unit responded and the vehicle
received a positive alert for the presence of narcotics, reports state.

After the positive alert, deputies searched the Cadillac and found
$47,580 in cash hidden in the vehicle, according to reports.

The cash was seized by sheriff's authorities based on United States
drug forfeiture laws. Because the driver of the vehicle was unable to
account for why he had such a large amount of cash, he was issued a
receipt and the total amount was turned over to the U.S. Marshal's Office.

No criminal charges have yet been filed, authorities said.

Federal forfeiture statutes allow law enforcement agencies to seize
real property, cash, vehicles or any other form of alleged illegally
gained assets used in drug trafficking or produced with proceeds from
drug trafficking.

The law does not law the transport of more than $10,000 without the
proper federal documentation, which was not provided in Thursday's stop.

A similar traffic stop in the county netting a large amount of money
was made by sheriff's HEAT authorities in the Roseboro area last
August. That stop netted more than $14,000 in cash.

Sampson County Sheriff Jimmy Thornton praised those officers on
Thursday's stop.

"The benefit of a traffic unit was demonstrated once again," Thornton
stated in the press release. "If drug dealers want to run their drugs
and cash on the roadways in Sampson County then they have to deal
with the consequences."