Muskogee County Sheriff's Office

On February 27, 2016, Muskogee County sheriff's deputies pulled over Eh Wah on U.S. Route 69 for a broken tail light. Eh Wah, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was carrying cash proceeds from a fundraiser from a Christian band, raised suspicions from the officers due to miscommunication during questioning. Deputies brought out a drug-sniffing dog that gave a positive alert, but did not find any drugs during the search that followed. The deputies instead found and seized $53,249 in cash, citing the "possession of drug proceeds"; the money however was going towards Christian liberal arts college and an orphanage in Thailand. Although Eh Wah was not immediately charged at the scene, a warrant for his arrest was issued on April 5 for acquiring "proceeds from drug activity," citing the alert from the drug-sniffing dog, "inconsistent stories," and the inability to "confirm the money was his" as probable cause. Following national coverage of the incident in the Washington Post, the charges were dropped and the district attorney stated that a check would be issued to refund the full amount confiscated.[1]