$400,000 Seized In Frankfort Township Traffic Stop

FRANKFORT TOWNSHIP, IL — Authorities seized $400,000 from two locked suitcases in the back of black Nissan Rogue during a traffic stop on Interstate 80 Wednesday. Will County deputies pulled over the driver, a 49-year-old man with an Ecuadorian driver's license, because they said he made a sudden lane change without proper signaling.

The Will County Sheriffs Office Drug Interdiction Team stopped the man at about 7 p.m. while they were monitoring traffic westbound on I-80. The driver, who also held a Visa ID, told deputies that he had flown to Miami from Ecuador on Jan. 13 to work with a windmill company. However, the man appeared visibly shaken, authorities said.

A K-9 unit arrived, and the dog, Riggs, alerted handlers of the possible presence of narcotics during a free-air sniff, the sheriff's office said.

Deputies searched the vehicle and found the two locked suitcases containing the cash in the rear cargo area. The driver provided the combination for the locks. The Will County Drug Interdiction Team seized the cash.

The driver was questioned and released Thursday, and charges have not yet been filed. He was issued a warning for the traffic violation. An investigation is ongoing.

Photo via Will County Sheriff's Office.