Mahwah Police Seize $30,000 In Cash During Traffic Stop

MAHWAH, N.J. — Police seized $30,000 from a Pennsylvania car after a K-9 unit searched the vehicle during a routine traffic stop early Monday morning on Route 287, Chief James Batelli said.

Officer Tyler Boucher stopped a 2007 Acura TSX with Pennsylvania license plates for obstructing the flow of traffic and failing to keep right, Batelli said.

Boucher saw several cell phones in the car and the occupants told him contradictory statements so Boucher called for the department's K-9 Remco to come and search the vehicle, Batelli said; Remco found several spots in the car with the odor of narcotics.

Police found $30,000 in cash in a a plastic bag in a compartment in the back of the car, Batelli said.

The driver, Joelvis Acosta, 26, was charged with transporting and possessing property derived from criminal activity and several motor vehicle violations, the chief said. He was processed and released on his own recognizance.

The money was seized pending the outcome of a criminal trial and a civil forfeiture hearing, Batelli said.

Send local news tips, photos and press releases to daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Photo: Joelvis Acosta, 26, of Allentown, Pa.