LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -
A Las Vegas resident was one of two women arrested in a routine traffic stop outside Phoenix that resulted in the discovery of more than $47,000 in suspected drug money.
According to the Pinal County, Ariz. Sheriff's office, Tiffany Cleveland, 29, of Las Vegas, was a passenger of a vehicle driven by 30-year-old Shanice Hempstead, of Fontana, Calif.
Authorities said Hempstead's vehicle was pulled over by a deputy who saw them make several illegal lane changes on Interstate 10 in Florence, Ariz., southeast of Phoenix, just after 1 a.m. Wednesday.
The deputy suspected a marijuana odor in the vehicle and, after getting conflicting stories from the women, searched the vehicle.
The deputy found a black purse with shrink-wrapped cash totaling $47,670; counterfeit $20 bills totaling $460; pipes and marijuana.
The Sheriff's office said Hempstead admitted to being hired to transport the cash bundle of what she believed was drug money from Las Vegas to southern Arizona. Cleveland denied knowing about the money.
Cleveland was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, with more charges pending.
Hempstead was charged with money laundering, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving on a suspended license.
Both were booked into jail. No word on if the women were given bail.
The Pinal County sheriff noted that deputies see a massive amount of drugs and a steady flow of cash pass through the area.
"These women will be held accountable for their part in keeping the drug trade going through our county," Sheriff Paul Babeu said.
Stay tuned to FOX5 for the latest on this developing story.
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Tiffany Cleveland (left) and Shanice Hempstead (right) (Courtesy: Pinal County, Ariz. Sheriff's office)
Deputies displayed the cash seized from a car stopped on July 4. (Courtesy: Pinal County, Ariz. Sheriff's office)
