A California man driving a pick-up with Texas tags was arrested in Arizona and found with over $180K in bagged cash in his truck.

Sedona AZ (March 20, 2015) – On March 19, 2015, just after 8:00 in the morning, an Arizona Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office K9 deputy observed a white 2014 Ford pick-up with Texas plates travelling at an unsafe distance to another vehicle on AZ Interstate 40. The pick-up driver then made an unsafe lane change so the deputy pulled the vehicle over.

The YCSO deputy observed the driver, Jun Hee Kim, 30, from California appeared nervous and provided numerous inconsistent statements regarding his travel. As the conversation continued, the deputy suspected Kim’s vehicle might contain contraband in the form of drugs.

The deputy requested permission to check inside Kim’s pick-up and was denied. As a result, a certified K9 was deployed and during an exterior sniff of the truck, the K9 exhibited a very obvious alert indicating the odor of drugs. During a search of the vehicle interior for the source, the deputy discovered a suitcase which contained Kim’s clothing and several clear plastic bags of US Currency found to total $180,000 when later counted. A blind K9 ‘sniff’ test was utilized and confirmed a drug/narcotic odor was directly associated with the seized cash. It is believed the cash is connected to illicit drug operations.

Kim initially denied association with the cash. The investigation is ongoing this afternoon and it is expected that the seized currency will be submitted to the court with a request for civil asset forfeiture.

Kim was booked at the Camp Verde Detention Center on one count of Money Laundering and remains in-custody. Bond has not been set.

Citizens can contact the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office with information or questions at 928-771-3260 or the YCSO website at www.ycsoaz.gov.

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