Nearly $250,000 in U.S. Currency found in spare tire by DPS officer during traffic stop in Camp Verde

On Oct. 13, 2009, at 9:00 a.m., an officer with the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) stopped a 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer for several moving violations while traveling southbound on Interstate 17 in Cordes Junction. The officer observed indicators of criminal activity and obtained consent to search the vehicle. Following the consent search, the officer located several bundles of cash inside the mounted spare tire of the vehicle. The total amount seized during the traffic stop was $245,393. The driver, Wayne Mullins, 62 of Medina Ohio, was arrested and booked into the Yavapai County Jail on money laundering charges.

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