Traffic stop leads to drug bust in Perryville

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- The Perryville Police Department could receive more than $15,000 after a traffic stop led to a significant drug bust, interim chief Direk Hunt said Wednesday.

Hunt declined to release specifics of the case, citing an ongoing investigation. But he said an officer stopped a vehicle on suspicion of leaving the scene of an accident.

Two other officers arrived to assist, and during the stop, the three found drugs and $19,000 in cash in the vehicle, Hunt said.

The money went to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration for forfeiture. But under the agency's equitable sharing policy, Perryville will get back 70 percent to 80 percent of the money, or $13,300 to $15,200, he said.

At a meeting Tuesday night, Hunt told the city's board of aldermen the department could use the money for equipment or officer training.

The case remains under investigation, Hunt said Wednesday.

Pertinent address:

Perryville, Mo.