DRUG MONEY SEIZED

A day after netting $105,360 in a drug money bust, Davidson County
deputies seized another $145,160 in a similar bust.

Interim Sheriff Dallas Hedrick said the Criminal Enforcement Team
stopped a vehicle for a minor traffic violation shortly before 1 a.m.
Friday. The driver was given a warning citation for driving with
improper equipment, but deputies became suspicious after talking to
the driver about where he was going. He consented to let them search
his vehicle, and deputies found the money.

Hedrick said the man claimed the money was not his.

The suspect's name was not released because he's being held in federal
custody as part of an ongoing investigation.

Hedrick said Criminal Enforcement Team members attend regular training
seminars to learn how to spot drug shipments moving along Interstate
85. There are similar teams working in other counties, cities and
states nationwide.

In a previous interview, he said there are drug distribution points
along highways up and down the East Coast, and delivery drivers drop
off drug shipments and return with money.

Hedrick said he couldn't explain how officers are able to spot drug
traffickers on the highway, because it would compromise investigations
and officer safety.

"There are certain things that signal us," he said. "But you can't go
into law enforcement secrets."

If no one comes forward to claim legitimate ownership of the seized
money, 80 percent of it comes back to the county, Hedrick said.