Traffic stop near Cheyenne yields nearly $3.25 million
Loot confiscated, two occupants of vehicle released
by Wyoming Highway Patrol
April 7, 2007
A traffic stop on westbound Interstate 80 two miles east of Cheyenne has resulted in the seizure of an as of yet undetermined amount of U.S. currency. Troopers estimate that the amount of currency seized could be in the neighborhood of approximately $3.25 million.
The currency was seized after a Trooper made a vehicle stop of a Dodge dually pickup truck around 5:00 a.m. this Saturday morning. The driver, 32-year-old Rusty Boschee, was stopped for speeding 79 mph in a 75 mph zone and for having an obscured license plate.
During the stop the Trooper requested assistance from a Laramie County Sheriff’s K-9. The K-9 alerted to its handler near the rear of the pickup.
In the bed of the pickup truck officers discovered 8 suitcases. All 8 suitcases were filled with U.S. currency. Neither Boschee nor his passenger, 40-year-old Michael Burns, could explain the large amount of currency or why they were in possession of it. Both denied any knowledge of the currency or who the owner of the currency might have been.
At this point, it is believed that the currency came from assets that were derived from, or were used to facilitate, drug trafficking activities.
Troopers and Special Agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have seized the 8 suitcases containing the currency and it is being held at an undisclosed location. A more thorough count of the currency will take place during the week.
Boschee and Burns were not charged with any crime at this time and both have been allowed to proceed on their journey. The case remains under investigation.
|
