The Teller Nose

Two women had accounts in a Spokane, Washington bank where they made frequent, large, cash deposits. The teller was suspicious. Not because of the amounts of the deposits, but from the way they smelled. When investigators were told that the money smelled like marijuana, drug agents were sent to the homes, where they found more than 500 marijuana plants, psychedelic mushrooms, and over $110,000 in cash.

The two women are pleading guilty to money laundering, and face up to six years in prison. Their husbands are charged with conspiracy and may serve three years each. All because of a teller's nose!

Copyright © 2003 Bankers' Hotline. Originally appeared in Bankers' Hotline, Vol. 12, No. 10, 1/03