California K-9 sniffs out $300G in suspected drug money during traffic stop

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A police K-9 in California sniffed out an estimated $300,000 in suspected drug money during a traffic stop, authorities said Monday.

Beny, a K-9 officer with the California Highway Patrol (CHP), was called on to sniff a Chevy Tahoe on Dec. 21 in Merced, the department said in a statement. A CHP officer had pulled over the vehicle for tailgating and noticed several things that led to suspicions of criminal activity.

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Beny sniffed the vehicle’s exterior and gave a positive alert to the odor of narcotics, the CHP said.

Officers then searched the vehicle and found a suitcase and backpack filled with a large amount of cash, the statement said. Investigators believe the money came from the sale of drugs.

While an official count is pending, officers estimated the cash amounted to around $300,000.

Officers seized the money and the driver was arrested. A charge of possessing over $100,000 of money related to drug sales was pending, the department said.

The incident was one of several high-profile busts Beny and the CHP made this month.

On Dec. 11, Beny busted a driver who was found with two suitcases and a black briefcase filled with $1,017,750 in cash, the department said. Investigators believed the money also came from drug sales.

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A week later, on Dec. 18, another traffic stop led Beny to sniff out 23 pounds of suspected crystal methamphetamine, 2.2 pounds of suspected heroin and approximately 1.5 pounds of suspected fentanyl pills. The drugs have a street value estimated at $677,000, the CHP said.