Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, May 30, 1994 TAG: 9405300083
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
State police spokeswoman Mary Evans said Saturday that the driver of the truck, Esteban Perez, 25, of Jersey City, N.J., told police he knew nothing about the money.
According to the state police, Perez was pulled over on Interstate 95 at the southern edge of the city after Trooper Chris Clark noticed him weaving and driving 40 mph Friday night. Perez did not have a driver's license, and the vehicle's registration and tags did not check out, the state police said.
The trooper summoned a drug-sniffing dog. The dog detected something near the truck's gas tank, and the state police had the truck towed to a garage where they put it on a lift.
They discovered the truck's bed had a hidden compartment with 61 bundles of bills. Each bundle was about 2 inches thick and included $1, $10, $20, $50 and $100 bills wrapped in plastic, Evans said.
Police found traces of cocaine on the wrap that covered the money, Evans said.
The state police said Perez told them that he works for a Jersey City electronics company as a security person, and that he was moving to Miami. The 1989 Chevrolet pickup had Alabama license plates, but those plates aren't on file in Alabama, Evans said.
The money - $407,438 - was taken to a bank, where it will be held in a special account until disposition of the case. The truck was confiscated, and Perez jailed until he is scheduled to appear Tuesday in traffic court on charges of driving without a license.
by CNB