A driver who was “sweating profusely” was nabbed with marijuana and more than $13,000 in cash after he was caught speeding on the Florida Turnpike in Sumter County.
Kevin Joel Rivera Ralat, 24, of Kissimmee, was driving a blue passenger car shortly before 9 p.m. Monday traveling 89 miles per hour in a 70 mph zone when he was pulled over near Mile Marker 303, according to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department.
He was sweating profusely despite the fact he had the car’s “air conditioning blasting cold air,” the report said. The odor of marijuana was detected and Rivera Ralat admitted he had smoked marijuana about 30 minutes earlier. A little more than a gram of marijuana was found in a McDonald’s fast food bag on the vehicle’s passenger floorboard.
Officers also discovered “a stack of money approximately 7 inches high rubber banded together within the center console.” An officer counted out the money in front of Rivera Ralat and it totaled “$13,020 in 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 dollar bills.”
He was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession. He was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center on $1,000 bond. He was also issued a warning for speeding.