Kansas troopers seize $173K from driver planning to buy marijuana in Colorado

Federal prosecutors have filed for the government to keep more than $344,000 seized by state troopers and postal inspectors, including $173,000 that a man said was intended for buying marijuana in Colorado.

The civil asset forfeiture cases, all filed this month in U.S. District Court in Wichita, allege the cash is suspected drug money and should be turned over to the federal government. The money is currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshal Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

The largest chunk of the cash was found during a Sept. 13 traffic stop on Interstate 70 in Wabaunsee County. Trooper Derek Carr of the Kansas Highway Patrol pulled over a 2004 Toyota 4Runner, and a search of the vehicle turned up just over $173,000.

Most of the money was hidden in an ammunition can in the rear cargo area, and the rest was in the center console, according to an affidavit written by a trooper who is also a Drug Enforcement Administration task force officer.

Law enforcement also found six empty duffel bags, one of which had marijuana residue, and vacuum-seal packaging. The DEA task force officer said those items are consistent will illegal drug trafficking.

Passenger Dylan Wolhart refused to talk with the trooper. Driver Michael Hudson told investigators they were traveling from Asheville, North Carolina, to Denver, Colorado, where they intended to use the money to buy a large amount of marijuana. A search of his cellphone turned up text messages about drug trafficking.

A police dog indicated the money smelled of drugs.

In an unrelated case, the KHP found nearly $127,000 during an interstate traffic stop in Russell County. Trooper James McCord pulled over a rented 2019 Dodge Durango on Aug. 22 and found the cash in vacuum-sealed packages hidden in the engine compartment, a DEA task force officer wrote in an affidavit.

Driver Stephen Day and passenger Alejandro Anton, both of Lexington, Kentucky, denied knowledge or ownership of the money. They provided conflicting travel destinations, and the driver said he didn’t know his passenger’s last name.

A K-9 alerted to the odor of controlled substances coming from the currency.

A third case was investigated by the Postal Inspection Service and involves nearly $45,000.

Postal Inspector Paul Shade wrote in court documents that on June 17, he investigated an express mail parcel. The package weighed just over 6 pounds and was being sent to Alex Ruiz at an address in Rowland Hills, California, from Natalie Gonzales at a Wichita address on North Chautauqua. The $74.25 in postage had been paid with cash.

Shade wrote that he called Ruiz, who said the cash was payment for a car he had sold to Gonzales and her husband. He said the car was a dark blue 2013 Buick Verano, which he said he recently bought on Craigslist for $40,000 and resold for $45,000. He said the Gonzaleses had the car in Wichita. He consented to inspectors searching the package to verify the contents and provided a VIN number for the car and phone number for Gonzales.

Gonzales told Shade in a phone call that the cash was for a “grayish” Buick Verano, but she didn’t know the year or the mileage. She said the car was in California with Ruiz, and that she trusts him with mailing cash for payment because he is a business owner and they went to school together in Kansas.

When Shade checked the VIN number provided by Ruiz, it was indeed connected to a 2013 Buick Verano. However, when he called the registered owner, who lives on South Custer in Wichita, the owner said he still owned it and had never listed it for sale on Craigslist or elsewhere. Additionally, he said his car is black.

When investigators searched the package, a drug-detection canine alerted to the smell of narcotics emitting from the money. The cash was found inside a metal tin that was heavily taped. Dryer sheets were also found inside the package, which Shade said are commonly used by drug traffickers to try to defeat drug-sniffing dogs. There was also a handwritten ledger detailing the dollar amount inside the parcel.

Upon further investigation, postal inspectors discovered several boxes with methamphetamine were being sent to addresses connected to Ruiz. One of the boxes was in Wichita and had more than 19 pounds of meth.

This story was originally published November 24, 2019 at 6:45 PM.