Halifax County Sheriff Wes Tripp said the Drug Enforcement Administration will be assisting in the investigation to help the sheriff's office determine the source of the money and where the driver, who lists an address in Jacksonville, was heading.

The driver, identified as Abdulwahed Mohamed Salim, 29, was also cited for possessing less than a half-ounce of marijuana.

Tripp said the investigation will help determine whether the money found was tied to the drug trade. It was not immediately known if Salim is a United States citizen, Tripp said.

The stop occurred around noon when a vehicle passed Captain Anzell Harris on the interstate at a high rate of speed. Harris stopped the vehicle at the 171 mile marker and gave Salim a written warning for driving at a speed that constituted a hazard.

Salim gave Harris consent to search the vehicle and requested assistance. Responding were Deputy A. Smith, Corporal M. Brown and Mike Casey, a retired major with the sheriff's who still works on a part time basis.

Mallie, a canine with the sheriff's office, indicated on a large amount of currency inside the vehicle. Brown found another large amount of cash hidden under the vehicle.

Deputies, Tripp said, could see the money, but were unable to get to it. The vehicle was seized and taken to the sheriff's office. Harris was granted a search warrant for the vehicle.

A small amount of marijuana found inside the vehicle was seized, resulting in the citation and a December 3 court date for Salim.