EAST ST. LOUIS – Drug agents seized $968,955 in cash from a rental car on Interstate 70 in July, according to a forfeiture petition in U.S. district court.
Assistant U.S. attorney Adam Hanna filed the petition on Dec. 18, claiming the cash was to be exchanged for a controlled substance.
He wrote that the government deposited the cash in an asset forfeiture account at Federal Reserve Bank in St. Louis.
As of Dec. 21, the government had not filed criminal charges against the car’s occupants, Yuzhu Liu and Hsu Chi Suen.
Hanna attached a declaration from Drug Enforcement Administration officer Kyle Waddington, providing the following account:
Waddington and officer Larry Brantley stopped a westbound black Volkswagen near Route 4 on July 3, for “displaying an obstructed view of windshield.”
Liu, the driver, provided a New York license.
Waddington asked her to exit the car and meet with Brantley at his vehicle.
She complied and he walked her to Brantley.
He returned to the VW to speak with Suen, who said he and Liu were traveling to visit a friend in Oklahoma City for a day or two.
Suen exhibited nervous behavior that included stretching in his seat and laughing loudly at unusual times.
Liu told Brantley they rented the car at the Indianapolis airport after she had problems with her vehicle.
She said they would drive to Oklahoma City and return to New York two days later.
The agents found they rented the VW that day with a return three days later.
Liu returned to her car and the agents agreed that the timeline and the purpose of the trip were strange.
Waddington handed Liu’s license to her along with the rental agreement, and said she and Suen were free to go.
Waddington kept talking, and told them the area was a major drug corridor.
He asked if there was anything like that in the vehicle, and Suen laughed loudly and said no, no, no.
Waddington asked Liu to pop the trunk so they could make sure.
She popped it, and the officers removed a large blue suitcase.
As they unzipped it, Suen got out and said, “That’s our life savings.”
They saw bundles of currency, some of it with vacuum seals.
They handcuffed Suen and contacted officers Kevin Thebeau and Angelque Sarmento for assistance.
Waddington read the rights of Suen and Liu separately, and both said they would speak without a lawyer.
Waddington told Liu about the money and she said she knew nothing about it.
Waddington drove the VW to the Pontoon Beach police department with Liu as passenger, and Brantley drove his vehicle with Suen as passenger.
Thebeau and Sarmento carried the cash.
Suen opened up to Brantley, stating that his Anli International Tours business made $2 million a year.
He said it was traditional in Chinese culture to save money at home.
He said there were opportunities for Asian restaurants in Oklahoma City.
He said marijuana was legal in Oklahoma and they thought about buying a farm.
He said it was impossible to get money from a bank to finance a marijuana farm.
He said he had roughly $650,000 of his money and about $350,000 that belonged to investor friends.
He rocked back and forth and he sweated heavily.
At Pontoon Beach police station, Thebeau and Sarmento issued a receipt for the cash to Liu and Suen.
Special agents Andrews and Strickland arrived to question Suen, and he named an associate who contributed $200,000 and two who contributed $50,000 each.
Suen said the farm cost $1.5 million for eight acres.
He said a restaurant owner owned the farm but he didn’t know his name.
He said Asians aren’t interested in banks and they hate the IRS.
He said he kept money in a closet and under a mattress.
He said he would return the VW to Indianapolis, pick up his vehicle, and drive to his home in Buffalo, New York.
This clashed with Liu’s statement that they left her vehicle in Indianapolis.
Andrews and Sarmento questioned Liu, who said she asked Suen about the suitcase and he told her it was equipment for a friend.
Liu said she had worked at Anli International Tours but was currently unemployed.
Three days later canine officers executed a sniff and the dog alerted to an odor of narcotics on a bag containing the cash.
On the same date agents returned Suen’s telephone to him in Buffalo.
He told them he thought they would arrest him, but they didn’t.
In September, Suen submitted a claim for the currency.
He stated that $161,500 belonged to him.
“I saved these funds over many years from lawfully obtained money on which I paid full taxes,” Suen stated.
He wrote that he was holding the other $808,500 for 36 individuals.
Waddington’s declaration did not indicate the status of Suen’s claim.
He wrote that according to Google, Anli International Tours is permanently closed.
The district court clerk assigned Chief Judge Nancy Rosenstengel.