IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – An appeals court says Iowa government officials can keep $33,000 in cash seized from a man later acquitted of possessing marijuana. The Iowa Court of Appeals says the traffic stop that led to the arrest of Robert Pardee was pretextual but didn’t violate his rights. Pardee was the passenger in a California-plated vehicle stopped by a trooper on Interstate 80 in 2012 as part of an interdiction program that pulls over vehicles for minor traffic violations for the purpose of searching for illicit drugs.

Troopers found a small amount of marijuana, $33,100 cash and drug ledgers listing amounts sold, prices and names of buyers. Pardee was charged with possession of marijuana, but later acquitted. The court is upholding a judge who found the money was tied to a criminal offense.