$125,775 CACHE AWAITS CLAIM FROM OWNER

The African men whose $125,775 in suspected drug money was seized by Ohio
Highway Patrol officers Thursday can get their money back, but they're
going to have to fight for it.

The money was confiscated from two men from Ghana, Africa, when patrol
officers pulled their Jeep Grand Cherokee over on eastbound I-80.

Officers determined there was probable cause to search the vehicle and a
dog trained to find drugs found a "narcotic odor" in the vehicle. No drugs
were found, but the men could not provide a legitimate explanation for the
cash, which was in various denominations. Under federal law, drugs do not
have to be present to seize money, Drug Enforcement Administration resident
agent Mark Murtha said.

The men, who were released without any criminal charges, can get the money
back provided they can produce legal and proper documentation of ownership.

"It is not done behind closed doors," Mr. Murtha said. "There is a definite
procedure for due process... These people can contest the seizure."

The money will be converted to a cashier's check. The two men will get a
notice about claiming the money and the government will put a notice in a
national newspaper, the USA Today or Wall Street Journal, so others can
make a claim.

"The vast majority of the money we seize never gets contested," Mr. Murtha
said, adding that claims are investigated with banks and other agencies to
prevent fraud.

Patrol officers found the money in plastic grocery bags and in a duffel bag
Thursday after pulling over the vehicle, a patrol spokesman said yesterday.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has taken over the investigation and is
planning to begin procedures to keep the money taken from the men.

Patrol officers pulled over the driver early Thursday afternoon for making
an improper lane change near mile post 52 in Maumee.

The driver was given a ticket for the improper lane change.

The discovery marked the fourth consecutive Thursday that drug officers
from the Findlay post of the patrol have made significant seizures on the
same stretch on eastbound I-80.