By Mike Glenn
The Houston Chronicle
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — If not for Deputy Elmo’s olfactory expertise, investigators searching the modest brick home in northwest Harris County might have passed the bedroom closet without giving it a second glance.
But Elmo detected something suspicious behind a set of bookshelves in the closet.
“The dog just wouldn’t leave it alone,” a Harris County sheriff’s undercover investigator said. “The dog just kept pawing at it.”
When Elmo’s human partners unscrewed the shelves from the wall, a piece of Sheetrock fell away, revealing more than $3 million in cash stuffed inside a hidden compartment.
“It was actually kind of clever,” the investigator, who asked not to be identified because of the nature of his undercover work, said of the attempt to hide the loot. “It was quite a surprise, to be honest.”
The money was in tight bundles, wrapped in clear plastic. Numbers scrawled on top indicated how many thousands of dollars were inside each pack.
Sheriff’s investigators found the cash on Monday while running down a tip about narcotics trafficking at the home on Berclair near Green Trail Drive.
Adan Ruiz Jr., 49, gave permission to search the leased home, apparently confident the hidden cash would not be discovered, authorities said.
“He was outside when we started taking the money out. He said it wasn’t his,” the investigator said.
The home, relatively tidy but sparsely furnished, probably was used as a safe spot to stash money and drugs, investigators said.
They found bottles of air freshener and sheets of fabric softener scattered throughout the residence, a tactic often used to ward off drug-sniffing dogs like Elmo.
The suspected stash house is in a middle-class area near Houston National Cemetery. Some of the homes are better maintained than others, and a handful have “for sale” signs on display.
“It’s a good neighborhood. Sometimes we have problems, but not too much,” Pedro Zarco said while watering his front lawn Thursday.
Marion Noski has lived in the area for almost 30 years. He said he was not aware that one of his neighbors had such a huge pile of money.
He “could have won the Lotto,” Noski said, with tongue slightly in cheek.
Not quite, investigators said.
Before pouncing on the money in the closet, Elmo had sniffed out more than 130 grams of cocaine — enough to fill a gallon-sized plastic bag — hidden inside Ruiz’s Ford Explorer, they said.
The street value was about $80 to $100 per gram, officials said.
“The drug quantity is pretty significant. He’s certainly not a lightweight,” Harris County sheriff’s spokesman Lt. John Legg said.
The cocaine package, taped into a tight roll, was hidden deep behind the glove compartment, investigators said, adding that deputies had to tear apart the dashboard to find it.
Ruiz was taken into custody and charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.
He later was released after posting $25,000 bail. He could not be reached for comment Thursday. His next court date is set for May 13.
Copyright 2008 The Houston Chronicle