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EL RENO, Okla. (KFOR) – Two businessmen from New Mexico claim the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office confiscated their money for a land purchase and they claim $10,000 of it is now missing.

“Illegal money, tell us, why is it illegal money?” Thai Nang said.

Nang, a businessman from New Mexico, spoke with KFOR over the phone on Thursday about a traffic stop that happened in El Reno back in April.

“We stop right away. They ask us for license and they questioned me, like skeptical,” he said.

Nang said he and his business partner traveled to Oklahoma to purchase some land.

“They keep asking like do I have cash, do we have cash, many times, many times. I say, ‘Of course we have cash,'” Nang told News 4.

He said that’s when the deputy started searching their car and found the $141,500 in cash that they were going to use for the land purchase.

“That’s our savings money to buy the agriculture land and he told me, ‘I’m 300% sure that’s illegal money,'” Nang said.

The two were taken to the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office where they were allegedly questioned for hours and then let go. The sheriff’s office ultimately confiscated the money.

“I really politely asked them, ‘Your name, excuse me, sir, can I have your name? And can we get our receipt of what you took (from) us?’ They refused,” Nang said.

According to the court documents, only $131,502 was seized, which is $10,000 short.

The document also alleges that the money was “furnished, or intended to be furnished, in exchange for a controlled dangerous substance,” “traceable to such an exchange” or was “intended to be used to facilitate a violation of the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Act.”

Nang strongly denies all of those claims, saying there’s no proof of that listed anywhere in the documents.

“It’s $10,000 short. So, it look like they stole our money,” he said.

News 4 left several messages with Sheriff Chris West on Thursday, hoping for an explanation, and so far, we haven’t heard back.

“We work hard for our money and if you try to take our money, what’s the reason?” Nang said.

Nang and his business partner are due in court on Friday, July 23, at 9 a.m.