Iowa court upholds seizure of cash from ex-basketball star

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - A court has upheld the seizure of $63,000 from a former professional basketball player suspected of marijuana trafficking.

Deputies in western Iowa seized former Purdue and Houston Baptist forward Gordon Watt's cash in 2013 after stopping his speeding rental car.

The money was packaged in bundles and discovered with items that investigators said pointed to drug dealing, including a baggie of marijuana, a digital scale and a stolen handgun.

Investigators believe Watt was driving to Colorado to buy marijuana to resell in Illinois. Watt, who played overseas after completing his college career in 2009, claimed he was going to practice in the high altitude and that he didn't trust banks.

The Iowa Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday the cash is subject to forfeiture based on its likely tie to drugs.