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A traffic stop in the small town of Beatty netted a large amount of cash for the Nye County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday.
More than $750,000 in cash was found in three hidden compartments built into a pickup truck that police stopped for speeding and failing to stop at a stop sign.
The driver of the truck, identified by police as Maria Villananeda, 33, of Iowa, claimed she didn't know the money was there and didn't know who it belonged to.
The woman, who had two children with her, told police she was on her way to California on vacation. She was released with no charges filed, but police kept the truck and the cash for further investigation.
Sheriff Tony DeMeo called it the largest cash seizure in Nye County history, surpassing a $676,000 haul during a traffic stop in Tonopah in 2002.
Deputy Dan Pineau spotted the truck while conducting a drug patrol Tuesday afternoon on U.S. Highway 95 in Beatty, 115 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
DeMeo said Pineau's drug-sniffing dog "hit" on the vehicle. No narcotics were found, but "the money was probably tainted with drugs," he said.
The cash was in various denominations and was sealed in packages with the amounts written on the outside.
"It took until 4 o'clock in the morning to count all the money," DeMeo said.
The $750,111 was taken to a bank in Pahrump and deposited on Wednesday, "under police guard of course," DeMeo said.
Once the investigation is complete, the sheriff's office should get to keep some or all of the money, which will be earmarked for drug enforcement, DeMeo said.
Late last year, police in Boulder City seized more than $500,000 that was stashed in the spare tire of a vehicle passing through that community.
In that case, the money was discovered after the vehicle's driver stopped at an auto parts store because he noticed that the spare tire had come loose. When he went to fix it, the cash started coming out and blowing around the parking lot.
DeMeo said this was the second large haul in a month for Pineau and his dog, Derek. A few weeks ago, the pair assisted in the seizure of a half pound of methamphetamine in Beatty.
"We usually don't come across that kind of quantity," DeMeo said. "We usually find it in grams."
More than $750,000 in cash was found in three hidden compartments built into a pickup truck that police stopped for speeding and failing to stop at a stop sign.
The driver of the truck, identified by police as Maria Villananeda, 33, of Iowa, claimed she didn't know the money was there and didn't know who it belonged to.
The woman, who had two children with her, told police she was on her way to California on vacation. She was released with no charges filed, but police kept the truck and the cash for further investigation.
Sheriff Tony DeMeo called it the largest cash seizure in Nye County history, surpassing a $676,000 haul during a traffic stop in Tonopah in 2002.
Deputy Dan Pineau spotted the truck while conducting a drug patrol Tuesday afternoon on U.S. Highway 95 in Beatty, 115 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
DeMeo said Pineau's drug-sniffing dog "hit" on the vehicle. No narcotics were found, but "the money was probably tainted with drugs," he said.
The cash was in various denominations and was sealed in packages with the amounts written on the outside.
"It took until 4 o'clock in the morning to count all the money," DeMeo said.
The $750,111 was taken to a bank in Pahrump and deposited on Wednesday, "under police guard of course," DeMeo said.
Once the investigation is complete, the sheriff's office should get to keep some or all of the money, which will be earmarked for drug enforcement, DeMeo said.
Late last year, police in Boulder City seized more than $500,000 that was stashed in the spare tire of a vehicle passing through that community.
In that case, the money was discovered after the vehicle's driver stopped at an auto parts store because he noticed that the spare tire had come loose. When he went to fix it, the cash started coming out and blowing around the parking lot.
DeMeo said this was the second large haul in a month for Pineau and his dog, Derek. A few weeks ago, the pair assisted in the seizure of a half pound of methamphetamine in Beatty.
"We usually don't come across that kind of quantity," DeMeo said. "We usually find it in grams."
