DETAINED by DEA

Machinist

Well-Known Member
#1
Hey guys and gals, I got pulled over on a freeway 2 days ago, searched, taken to their station. All went well.....only a 3hr. ordeal.....will post all the details of this incident when I get a chance in the next few days after this trip
Obviously cash was the issue :)
Stay tuned. :p. A lot was learned!!!!!

Machinist
 

Sucker

Well-Known Member
#3
Happens to me a couple of times a year..... Of course I travel much more than the average person..... jacked around for 3 hours is about average. :)

I have a good friend/partner who just recently went through this - cost HIM about 30 grand.
 
#4
do you guys use any strategy for safehousing the money like keeping it in the trunk (if you got a trunk)? at least around here, cops needs to get a warrant in order to open your car trunk without your permission
 

Machinist

Well-Known Member
#5
Oky doky

Here's my story.
First off i cant reveal exact location of this incident. The regulars on here know by now that i stick to the midwest and the southern locations.
My car is a 15 year old car, gets good mileage, a very unassuming car. Nothing fancy smancy. I pack clothes for 3 weeks, just in case i find something good that requires me to stay. I carry 3 suitcases, tools in case of breakdowns. A blanket , pillow in case a double shift happens and i dont have a room yet and have to snooze in the car for 3 or 4 hrs till i can get a room. This is a hatchback car so you can see in through the hatchback.
I have been on the road for 8 days, so things tend to get a little unorganized in the car, more than i like at times.
I'm about 3 hrs into a drive to the next joint on a interstate. I have noticed on the whole trip alot and i mean alot of cops out and about, more than the usual amount. On this stretch, we are talking i passed 5 or6 cops already. By cops i mean sheriffs, local cops, and hwypatrol.
So up ahead of me i see 3 sheriff cars do a u turn through the median and are up ahead of me. Me and another car pass 2 of them because they slow to get up to speed limit. I use my blinker to go around the cop. But immediately he speeds up and is behind me..WELL crap, my out of state plates, maybe 4 states away from this one, are gonna get me profiled. COOL...
First thing was asked was i "i noticed you didnt use your singal to change lanes. And this is absoulute "bullsheet" I did, i mean come on i just passed a cop!!!...
Next thing where ya going sir? I came from here and going to here. Vacation? Yea kind and looking for work.
Drivers lisence, ins. etc.,,,, okay here it is.
Runs the lisence, and come back asks me to step out of the car. OH GREAT!!!!!
I cant get into my personal particulars with registration of my car, and my wife, and addresses ,, but it is a little complicated. So he was having a problem with that.
"Where have you been, how long etc. I get asked this by 3 of the cops at different times. So they are looking the car over pretty good.
AND here it comes ." sir we would like to search your car"? My response, sorry i cant allow that, on advice from my lawyer. "ok well we have the right to bring our dog in and if he "hits " on the car we are allowed to search. Yea i know.....
Do what ya gotta do....So they bring dog in , ..... Now 4 cop cars....lol
Before the search they ask" do you have any weapons, guns , knives, drugs....." No , no , no.....NEXT question " do you have any cash in the car????" WELL HERE WE GO!!!!!!!!
At this point i already know its to the sheriffs station and a full blow search and they gotta find out what the hell is going on.
AAHHHH yes sir i have about 4 on me and another 5 in a suit case. "WHAT" !!!! Lets see whats on ya. So they count it down, only 3800. So now the dog is brought around the car............ruff, rugg, 2 hits.........Mind you i have never ever had anything to do with drugs , nor that car.....i've had it since new!!!!
Okay so they start searching,,,,,,he finds the other 5. They count it down in front of the camera, 2 guys do it......So more searching.........and eventually in my other suit case another 10 is found...OKy doaky..........Off to the station we go...
AT this point it has only been about 45 minutes. Hotter than hell out!!!
Now mind you .......ALL these guys are very respectful, professional, their behavior was exceptional!!!!
So into the jail, a smaller town sheriffs dept.
About an hour later, in comes the DEA agent for them. Bring me into a room, and interstingly another cop is reading a paper in there and gets up to leave. But the dea guys say " naw stay, no problem" So i'm thinking this is a good thing.
First thing DEA says is, well "(my name)" .... We went through your car, and found all your paper work and we are almost conviced you have nothing to do with drugs.
Next words were " we went through your paperwork in you suitcase and my GOD you visit alot of casinos!!!!!! So we are assumming by your all your irs records, player cards, and strategy cards....your a professional gambler???? Yes????
At this point i"m like wow, wow, wow......IT WORKED.....
What i'm talking about is i purposefully got all my casino related stuff together and put in one area of my suitcase....
So evertthing is cool and we begin chatting about drug runners, cash , my AP career etc......
But one issue he needs to resolve...." where did the money come from" I had loose cash on me and a loose 5 in one suit case. But the other 10 was rubber banded in another case...
I tell him i take 10 to start with which is the rubber banded stuff. And the rest was made at the stores. So he says receipts are nice, to prove where it came from.. WEll i say i can rattle off every casino i have been to and every casino in the midwest if you like.
So i proceed to tell him of the 10 i had been to, but i cant prove it, alot of this was on table games and i play unrated.
So all in all 3hrs later i'm on the road.

Anything over 10g......is of concern to them.
Oh yea,,, also they ran me through NCIC and i was clean, but a casino related incident of 25 years ago was on there. So, my question was will this incident be on there now.. ABSOLUTELY!!!!!! Ya i say!!!!!!!
So what i learned is what Sucker has said on another thread.......Pack a bag with nothing but casino stuff, cash, cards, flyers, books, etc.
I am using a briefcase , it will have all that plus a note stateing i am a professional gambler, i carry cash, here is my lawyers number, and PLEASE call and verify through NCIC that i have been through this before.
So next time i am pulled over i can just state what i am really doing out here on the freeway......

Another interesting thing he told me is that the drug guys arent using casinos to launder money much anymore, like they used to. ONe of the biggest way of moving cash is with Walmart type Visa cards, 5g on each ....They caught a guy in their state with 91 of them on him, but he had a very long record of this type stuff.
Well if i think of anything else i will add later.....
Damn this is alot of typing........whew...
Feel free to ask question as i probably forgot alot of stuff.
Sucker obviously has been through this alot it looks like.....
A few of you guys know how much mileage i put on in a year, so its just a matter of time before you get profiled with an out of state tag, white guy,..blah blah blah

So obviously this is a pretty scary thing if you have never been through it. Lucky these guys had their act together and used common sense. I guess experienceing this a few times really helps in handling the situation. I just hope i can handle a stop that doesnt go as smoothly as this one.

Machinist
 

sagefr0g

Well-Known Member
#7
a'int that nuthin

geesh Macho, what a damm shame, ohh well, i'm glad it worked out ok, excepting you had to waste 3 hrs on such crap.
come to think of it i remember following you down the expressway to some joint a while back, and you called me on the cell after we passed some guy in a van that had been pulled over by some cops, obviously being given the search thing... you called me and advised me if i ever got pulled over to refuse a search if requested.... and here it happens to you...... geesh. what a bummer.
i wonder what the heck happened to Sucker's buddy that he ended up it costing him 30 grand.........geesh.:confused:
 

Friendo

Well-Known Member
#8
One question

I'm glad it worked out okay, but why did you talk to the cops in the first place?

Looks as if everything went about as smoothly as it could have, but you also happened to be dealing with intelligent, professional personnel in this case - except for them making up a traffic offense just to pull you over.

Isn't it better just to say "Here's my license, you may not search my car, and I have nothing further to say"?

BTW, thanks a lot for posting this. I never carry more than $10K, but that day will come.
 

Machinist

Well-Known Member
#9
Friendo said:
I'm glad it worked out okay, but why did you talk to the cops in the first place?

Looks as if everything went about as smoothly as it could have, but you also happened to be dealing with intelligent, professional personnel in this case - except for them making up a traffic offense just to pull you over.

Isn't it better just to say "Here's my license, you may not search my car, and I have nothing further to say"?

BTW, thanks a lot for posting this. I never carry more than $10K, but that day will come.
Friendo,
You can tell when they want to search..nothing you can do to stop it. The dog comes out , ruff ruff, now they can search...
But if a dog isnt available ......................then they have to let ya go.......
This was an active unit, actively doing drug enforcement... dog unit was there in 5 minutes.
Machinist
 

yesiamred

Well-Known Member
#10
OMG, thanks for sharing and the good information, in addition, I will heed the suitcases tactic. Glad it only cost you 3 hours of wasted time!
 
#11
Macho

Thanks for the story.

Why did you not just tell them how much money you had?

Seems like that triggered the deal, and then the dog barking, which I am sure was a put on unless coke on the cash:confused:

Been stopped on Max for false reasons, raised hell over it at the station,:mad: and rousted at Detroit Windsor border crossing for having $6K in my back pocket, thought I was going to lose it to punk US border guards.

The bad thing is i bet you feel bad for having to run your mouth about so many private things just to get your freedom back, makes you feel very violated, more each time you think about it,,,I dislike the man and the Gov.

CP
 

21forme

Well-Known Member
#12
Thanks for your post, Machinist. Of course, you had to be there, but playing armchair quarterback, I agree with Friendo. I would have politely disputed the turn signal line (you sure it's not out?), given my license and answered no questions.

This would be a good scenario for Richard Munchkin to discuss with Bob N. on his show.
 

paddywhack

Well-Known Member
#13
Thanks for the info Mac.

I'm always good at having casino related material with me and my cash when I fly but haven't done that much when traveling by car. Gotta make that a habit too.

Glad all worked out ok except the lost hours.
 

Machinist

Well-Known Member
#14
Until you actually go through this kind of an ordeal you cant understand. Again, if they want to search your car they will. Trust me, they will.
When 4 cars show up, you are going down town. Unless, and this is a big one AGAIN ;;;;;;;there is no dog available.
Understand this was an active drug enforcment group working the freeway.
Now i have been pulled over years ago when i had a van, 3 times i got pulled over in a year and a half,1st time i let them search. Finally they let me go, but i had no cash, i wasnt on a working trip then. The other two times, i denied access to search, no dogs available so was let go.
So in this instant a few things came together, an active drug unit, large amount of cash (at least to them it was). I gave it a shot on denying to search, but at that point after the dog arrives, your going to the station no matter what. I believe even if You only had 5g on ya, your still gonnna go talk to their boss.
I know its easy to say just shutup, but it doesnt work that way in real life sometimes.

CP i did signal, it blinked twice,,,,,he checked my signal , it does work...I check all my lights, just for this purpose.
But if your profiled, your profiled!!!!
Oh yea, i got rid of that van after the third time of gettin pulled over.
What i boils down to is i put so many miles on driving to different parts of the country, that eventually the law of averages says you will get stopped for on thing or another.
But again, like Sucker has said and also was brought up on the Munchkin interview with Mr. Nersersian,,,,, get your gambling stuff in one spot, be organized and ready to declare that this is what the money is for.
If you have a bank receipt for the money, that will do the trick, or a receipt from a casino.
I wasnt fully prepared for this, but i had put all gambling stuff in a spot in my suitcase and i did that because of some chats on this site just about this subject. Well it definitely worked in convincing these guys i was on the up and up. The DEA guy told me that, plus my record is clean in the NCIC.
I dont know if this was in my original post or not, but he also said that TEXAS is the worst ever if you get caught with over 10g you WILL get charged with money laundering, unless you have receipts for it, no ifs ands or buts. HE was dead serious about them.
He acknowledged that anything over 10g in their state without proof of where it came from could be confiscated and taken into a court situation. Thats their law, but also he said they try not to do that because they would lose 99% of the time.
So they are really looking for the guys with stuff on their record and a much larger amount of cash.
Machinist
 

BOND

Active Member
#15
European Vacation

Machinist said:
Friendo,
You can tell when they want to search..nothing you can do to stop it. The dog comes out , ruff ruff, now they can search...
But if a dog isnt available ......................then they have to let ya go.......
This was an active unit, actively doing drug enforcement... dog unit was there in 5 minutes.
Machinist
Machinist, have you considered taking a European Vacation?:grin:

Maybe some blackjack in the French Riviera would be so bad after all this.:laugh:
 

Machinist

Well-Known Member
#16
BOND said:
Machinist, have you considered taking a European Vacation?:grin:

Maybe some blackjack in the French Riviera would be so bad after all this.:laugh:
Actually Bond, i am doing some long range planning for a few out of country trips. But this isn't till next year. To many projects to get finished at home right now....ugghhhh.
I just chaulk this up to part of being in the "Business", and just keep doing my thing!!!!!

Machinist
 

Jack_Black

Well-Known Member
#17
Machinist said:
Until you actually go through this kind of an ordeal you cant understand. Again, if they want to search your car they will. Trust me, they will.

Machinist
x2. when I did my roadtrip to wendover I got stopped going on the UT/NV border going there and stopped again leaving. Both times I got stopped for "illegal" tint and a complicated car ins/title situation. the first cop asked a few questions, found out I was gonna be gambling, then let us go. the second cop was just way too overzeolous and hit me with a barrage of questions. but when he found out I was there for gambling, he concluded that I'm suspect for narcotics with the amount of cash on hand. I even lied about the amount I had. but that didn't stop him. I said I had about $3800, but he still called K-9. although I didn't go downtown. I know most wouldn't suggest this, but I would lie a little here. the risk/reward ratio is good for me. lie about the amount I have and I could either get off scott free or they could send me downtown and put me under a microscope with no real penalties. this is going to happen to you anyway if you declare the high cash amount. might as well keep quiet about it.
 

Friendo

Well-Known Member
#18
General legal advice

Had it been me, I can't claim I would have kept my mouth shut. I find these situations scary.

I know full well that keeping quiet would not have prevented a search. I know that it might have meant longer than a 3-hour visit with the police.

Still, based on everything I have heard from legal experts, I would have tried to say nothing to the cops beyond "Here is my license and registration" and, when asked, "I do not consent to a search of my vehicle." I would have tried to say nothing to the cops at the station. I would have tried to say nothing to the DEA agent without a lawyer present. I would have not discussed anything with anyone - I would not have believed that I was released until I was in my car and driving away, because they can lie about absolutely anything when questioning you, including when they say "You're free to go."

For the record, I doubt I would have succeeded in keeping quiet.

I am not saying that you handled this stupidly - many intelligent people would not have handled it as well as you did.

What I am saying is that the advice of lawyers is to not say a damned thing to the police, whether you are innocent or guilty. If asked where you're going, say "Is there anything I can help you with, officer?" or say nothing.

You're only responsible for driver's license, registration, and insurance. If I had a weapon in the car, as I sometimes do, I would certainly answer that question truthfully. But I would aim to politely decline to answer any questions about cash or the purpose of my trip.

Would I succeed in this? No idea.

What I'm getting at here is the following: is keeping quiet, per the advice of lawyers, really the best solution for APs? Does anyone have other thoughts on this? Is it really best to remain silent when asked about cash, even if you have $20K on you?

Again: I know this won't prevent a search or a trip downtown. I'm just curious as to what sorts of questions we should answer, and as to how little we should say without a lawyer present.
 

Machinist

Well-Known Member
#19
Friendo said:
Had it been me, I can't claim I would have kept my mouth shut. I find these situations scary.

I know full well that keeping quiet would not have prevented a search. I know that it might have meant longer than a 3-hour visit with the police.

Still, based on everything I have heard from legal experts, I would have tried to say nothing to the cops beyond "Here is my license and registration" and, when asked, "I do not consent to a search of my vehicle." I would have tried to say nothing to the cops at the station. I would have tried to say nothing to the DEA agent without a lawyer present. I would have not discussed anything with anyone - I would not have believed that I was released until I was in my car and driving away, because they can lie about absolutely anything when questioning you, including when they say "You're free to go."

For the record, I doubt I would have succeeded in keeping quiet.

I am not saying that you handled this stupidly - many intelligent people would not have handled it as well as you did.

What I am saying is that the advice of lawyers is to not say a damned thing to the police, whether you are innocent or guilty. If asked where you're going, say "Is there anything I can help you with, officer?" or say nothing.

You're only responsible for driver's license, registration, and insurance. If I had a weapon in the car, as I sometimes do, I would certainly answer that question truthfully. But I would aim to politely decline to answer any questions about cash or the purpose of my trip.

Would I succeed in this? No idea.

What I'm getting at here is the following: is keeping quiet, per the advice of lawyers, really the best solution for APs? Does anyone have other thoughts on this? Is it really best to remain silent when asked about cash, even if you have $20K on you?

Again: I know this won't prevent a search or a trip downtown. I'm just curious as to what sorts of questions we should answer, and as to how little we should say without a lawyer present.
Friendo,
I have lived with these issues my whole AP career. Keeping quiet , i dont think you have to IF..you are really prepared for these situations.
Sure your gonna run into jerks out there with attitudes, possibly keeping quiet would be a good thing if it looked like things could get out of hand. Better to talk a higher authority than a punk wearing a cop suit.
I think being able to "read " the situation at hand needs to come into play.
When that DEA guy stepped into the room....and told the other guy he could stay, i knew we were on the right track and this was gonna end nicely.
Now if this guy had all of a sudden got an attitude with me and tried something like you see on a "Cop " show,,,,, well i assure you i would have clammed up and got a lawyer right fast!!!!!
But there wasn't even a hint of this from any of these guys. And i think my demeanor helped them alot also. I'm a pretty laid back guy. It was kind of like a chess game, and we both knew it was gonna be a draw till we got to the station and figured out what was really going on.
It would be nice if a few of the other guys on this site would drop their two cents on some of their experiences with this stuff.
Also i got the feeling from talking to this agent that...they are running into this type of stuff alot more than they have in the past. Especially in areas with alot of casinos. I'm sure they are well aware of BJ players, Poker players, and the amounts of cash they do carry. I mean it is their business to know this stuff, they live it everyday. Especially if it is a Drug Task Force .
You got stopped twice Jackblack? Both at the ut/nv border.... yea them tinted windows tends to get them looking i think....
Again Friendo, i think just being fully prepared for the situation will turn most if not all of your stops into a short lived deal. They just need some decent proof that your not in the drug business. My next stop will be handled entirely differently and i'm betting it will be a 30 minute stop at the most, with a warning as to the bogus trumped up charges of why i was stopped.

Machinist
 

Sucker

Well-Known Member
#20
Jack_Black said:
I know most wouldn't suggest this, but I would lie a little here. the risk/reward ratio is good for me. lie about the amount I have and I could either get off scott free or they could send me downtown and put me under a microscope with no real penalties.
I would highly RECOMMEND this!

I ALWAYS will tell them that I have about $1500 on me, and I'm here to spend money in their casinos. That almost ALWAYS works, and they just let me go on my way. I found out a long time ago that if you tell them that you have a large amount of cash, you're going to almost GUARANTEE problems for yourself!

I guess it's possible that some stupid cop MIGHT try charging you with a crime for lying to them (interfering with a police investigation?); but that's quite a stretch. The FIRST thing that he's required do do when he goes into the courtroom is to show probable cause as to why he even thought he had the right to ask you the question to BEGIN with. Case dismissed!
 
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