On June 5, 2013, a Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office K9 deputy stopped a black Nissan sedan with Oklahoma plates on west I40 around 7:15 AM. The driver, 32-year-old Janelle Mills from Oklahoma, was contacted regarding a moving and equipment violation. Mills indicated she was heading for northern California and exhibited extreme nervousness while sharing travel plans.
Mills was asked for permission to search the vehicle and denied the request. As a result, the deputy deployed his certified narcotics detection K9 partner who quickly alerted to the driver’s side door panels on the Nissan. When checking for the source of the odor, the deputy examined the vehicle interior and trunk areas. When the trunk lid was opened, the odor of marijuana was detected. A Gucci brand handbag inside the trunk was examined and found to contain several clear plastic packages containing thousands of dollars. The later total came to nearly $113,000. The Gucci bag matched a bag belonging to Mills found in the passenger compartment. Additional bags stored inside the trunk area all exhibited the strong odor of marijuana.
The K9 was later deployed in a controlled test utilizing 3 matching boxes with one hiding the seized currency. The K9 alerted on the box containing the currency indicating a drug/narcotics odor and association with those handling such contraband. Mills had no comment while on scene.
Mills was booked for one count of Money Laundering and has since been released on a $30,000 bond.