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SALT LAKE CITY — A California man was arrested on I-80 in May, after a search of his vehicle revealed $215,000 in cash and an intense odor of marijuana.
According to documents filed in 3rd District Court Thursday, Robert Jason Smith, 32, was stopped for a traffic violation. Police dogs alerted officers to the trunk of the rental car he was driving. Bundles of cash that smelled like marijuana were found in a bag in the trunk.
Various behaviors, including having the rental agreement and driver's license immediately ready, indicated Smith might have been trafficking narcotics, charges state. He also avoided giving direct answers to the trooper on scene, saying the money came from his work "up in the hills" of California.
Working cooperatively with local officials, police in McKinleyville, Calif., located Smith's home and, according to court documents, discovered a marijuana growing operation inside.
Smith is charged with money laundering, a second-degree felony. He was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail, but later released on bond.
Email:wleonard@ksl.com
