News (Media Awareness Project) - US AL: Police Seize Large Bundles Of Money During Traffic Stop |
| Title: | US AL: Police Seize Large Bundles Of Money During Traffic Stop |
| Published On: | 2002-11-05 |
| Source: | Tuscaloosa News, The (AL) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-01-21 20:20:15 |
POLICE SEIZE LARGE BUNDLES OF MONEY DURING TRAFFIC STOP
TUSCALOOSA - Thirty-eight bundles of cash were seized by authorities Monday
after a man driving a rented van was pulled over for a traffic violation on
Interstate 20/59 near the Tuscaloosa-Greene County line.
The money was still being counted late Monday, and the amount had not been
established, but Sheriff Ted Sexton said each bundle weighed between one
and three pounds.
It was the third cash seizure on the interstate in Tuscaloosa County this year.
Monday's seizure began after a Tuscaloosa County sheriff's deputy stopped a
man around 11 a.m. near the 58-mile marker. The man told the deputy he was
traveling west from Georgia to Dallas.
Deputies declined to identify the man but said he was 31 years old and from
Garden Grove, Calif. He has not been charged with a crime.
A search of the man's rented van revealed 38 bundles of cash hidden in the
paneling, Sexton said.
Sexton said the man was pulled over for a traffic violation but would not
specify further.
"[The money] was taken into custody at the scene by the DEA," Sexton said.
"It's en route to Birmingham, where a bank will count the money."
After Deputy Phillip Maddox found the money, Alabama State troopers, U.S.
Drug Enforcement agents and West/sAlabama Narcotics agents responded to the
scene.
Maddox is a member of the Sheriff's Office's felony detection unit, which
consists of officers trained to spot felons.
It is not illegal to transport large sums of money, but officers can
confiscate it and turn it over to the DEA. The federal agents investigate
the origin of the money and give the driver an opportunity to prove it was
obtained legitimately.
In January, sheriff's deputies seized $2.27 million near the same mile
marker after stopping a 38-year-old man.
On Oct. 26, an Alabama State trooper stopped a woman who was driving from
Georgia to California. He discovered $1.3 million wrapped in cellophane
bundles, totaling 150 pounds.
Both agencies will be allowed to receive a portion of the seized cash if
investigators determine it was drug-/srelated.
TUSCALOOSA - Thirty-eight bundles of cash were seized by authorities Monday
after a man driving a rented van was pulled over for a traffic violation on
Interstate 20/59 near the Tuscaloosa-Greene County line.
The money was still being counted late Monday, and the amount had not been
established, but Sheriff Ted Sexton said each bundle weighed between one
and three pounds.
It was the third cash seizure on the interstate in Tuscaloosa County this year.
Monday's seizure began after a Tuscaloosa County sheriff's deputy stopped a
man around 11 a.m. near the 58-mile marker. The man told the deputy he was
traveling west from Georgia to Dallas.
Deputies declined to identify the man but said he was 31 years old and from
Garden Grove, Calif. He has not been charged with a crime.
A search of the man's rented van revealed 38 bundles of cash hidden in the
paneling, Sexton said.
Sexton said the man was pulled over for a traffic violation but would not
specify further.
"[The money] was taken into custody at the scene by the DEA," Sexton said.
"It's en route to Birmingham, where a bank will count the money."
After Deputy Phillip Maddox found the money, Alabama State troopers, U.S.
Drug Enforcement agents and West/sAlabama Narcotics agents responded to the
scene.
Maddox is a member of the Sheriff's Office's felony detection unit, which
consists of officers trained to spot felons.
It is not illegal to transport large sums of money, but officers can
confiscate it and turn it over to the DEA. The federal agents investigate
the origin of the money and give the driver an opportunity to prove it was
obtained legitimately.
In January, sheriff's deputies seized $2.27 million near the same mile
marker after stopping a 38-year-old man.
On Oct. 26, an Alabama State trooper stopped a woman who was driving from
Georgia to California. He discovered $1.3 million wrapped in cellophane
bundles, totaling 150 pounds.
Both agencies will be allowed to receive a portion of the seized cash if
investigators determine it was drug-/srelated.
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