VANCOUVER, B.C. - A B.C. man found with $29,000 in plastic baggies in his car says he had the cash because he's been collecting soda cans.

With a five-cent deposit on pop cans in the province, that works out to almost 600,000 aluminum cans.

Police in New Westminster were running a drunk-driving checkpoint last Friday night when a car approaching the officers made a U-turn, so they pulled it over.

A police news release says the car smelled of marijuana, so the officers searched the vehicle looking for drugs.

Instead, they found $29,000 in two plastic baggies, which they seized as they investigate where the money came from.

Police say the man, who was released, told the officers he was unemployed, but had so much disposable cash because he had been collecting soda pop cans.