$600,000 in cash seized from truck near Joplin

JOPLIN — State troopers seized $600,000 in cash in plastic-wrapped bundles from a semitrailer near Joplin, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.

A trooper stopped the westbound truck on Wednesday on Interstate 44 at Joplin for following another vehicle too closely, the patrol said in a statement.

The trooper became suspicious of the driver and co-driver because of their stated itineraries, patrol said.

A search of the truck turned up the money in 11 bundles hidden in the cab, the patrol said. No drugs or weapons were found.

The money was turned over to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, the patrol said.