Traffic Stop Yields $500,000; Man Held on Drug Charges

A traffic stop by Azusa police shortly before midnight Monday led to the arrest of a man on suspicion of drug-related crimes and the recovery of more than $500,000 from a hidden compartment in a minivan, police said.

Ramon Perez, 31, of Calexico, was taken into custody after a police dog detected drug residue in the vehicle, Azusa police official Karen Pihlak said.

Perez was being held for using a false compartment with intent to conceal a controlled substance and possession of cash in excess of $100,000 in connection with the sale or purchase of a controlled substance. Arraignment was scheduled today.

When Officer Steve Hunt stopped the van at First Street and Azusa Avenue, the driver provided his driver’s license but did not provide the registration for the vehicle or his insurance information, Pihlak said.

“The driver told the officer the van belonged to a friend, but he did not know his friend’s name or address. As Officer Hunt talked to the driver, it was apparent that something was wrong,” she said.

After Perez gave consent to a search of the vehicle, Hunt found what he thought was a hidden compartment. The van was brought to the police station where it was searched by a police dog trained to locate narcotics. Officers found the money inside the compartment, Pihlak said.