Lancaster County deputies say they uncovered $2.4 million in drug money during a traffic stop Thursday.
Two people from California, 65-year-old Michael Melchior and 63-year-old Peggy Brennan, were booked into jail to face a charge of possession of money while violating 28-416, which means they knowingly possessed money use or intended to be used in connection with illegal drugs.
Investigators say the money was found after deputies pulled Melchior over in a 2006 Freightliner Renegade, with Brennan as the passenger, on Interstate 80, near mile marker 391, just outside of Lincoln.
Deputies say they became suspicious of the two and used a K-9 to check the large RV for the smell of drugs, which led to the discovery of luggage filled with sealed money.
“When the cash was unsealed to count, the overwhelming odor of raw marijuana was present,” the Sheriff’s Office wrote.
Investigators from multiple local, state and federal agencies are now trying to determine where the money came from, where it was headed, and “dismantle the complex criminal enterprise.”
