California police find spider monkey in front seat during drunk driving traffic stop

California police find spider monkey in front seat during drunk driving traffic stop

No monkey business allowed.

California police got a surprise Monday night when they stopped a Rolls Royce suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and discovered a dealer’s quantity of weed and a spider monkey in the front seat.

Ali Mused Adel Mohamed, 27, was arrested in his 2022 Rolls Royce Ghost for speeding on SR-99 while driving the month-old primate, who was wearing a pink onesie.

California police found a baby spider monkey in a car on December 30, 2024, suspected of driving under the influence. CHP Madera Facebook

Mohamed was arrested and charged with drunken driving and possession of cannabis for sale, the California Highway Patrol said.

“The driver had attached – or held – a baby monkey to his body. This is something you don’t see every day,” Modera CHP spokesman Sergio Moreno told North Valley News.

The exotic pet was taken away from Mohamed because California bans owning primates as pets.

“Spider monkeys are illegal. You can’t own them,” Madera County Animal Services Director Amy Toler told the outlet. “It is on the endangered species list. You definitely can’t have them here in California.”

The young male monkey was initially taken to the Madera animal shelter.

The month-old exotic pet was taken away from its owner because California bans owning primates as pets. CHP Madera Facebook
Ali Mused Adel Mohamed was arrested and charged with drunk driving, possession of cannabis and possession of an exotic animal. CHP Madera Facebook
On December 30, 2024, police stopped the Rolls Royce Ghost for speeding. CHP Madera Facebook

While in his makeshift shelter, the unnamed monkey ate mashed bananas and fed himself with two separate spoons, according to an adorable video posted on Facebook.

“Since we didn’t have what the monkey needed to feed, we went with the next best thing, which was your regular bananas,” Toler said.

“They shouldn’t be here. You know, we shouldn’t care about these animals. They need to be in the wild with nature, with their own species,” she added.

The young male monkey was initially taken to the Madera animal shelter. Madera County Animal Services/Facebook
The spider monkey feeds on mashed bananas in its makeshift shelter on Monday evening. Madera County Animal Services/Facebook

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife took the monkey into custody on Tuesday and will transport the primate to the Oakland Zoo, 150 northwest of Madera.

Mohamed was booked into the Madera County Jail on multiple charges, including possession of an exotic animal.

Photos showed the monkey sitting on Mohamed’s lap in the back of a patrol car, while another image showed officers handcuffing the driver during the traffic stop.

Police confiscated bags of cannabis flowers, a bag of money and several phones. CHP Madera Facebook
The police arrested Mohamed after the traffic stop under the influence of alcohol. CHP Madera Facebook

From the white luxury car, the police took out several bags full of marijuana flowers, several phones and a plastic bag full of money.

In November, Dallas police seized internet-famous monkey Jorgie Boy after the unauthorized pet was found terminally ill and malnourished in a car accident, with his owner saying she had passed out drunk.

Brandi Botello, 29, had her three-year-old spider monkey with her for a weekend when they were in a car accident.

The tattooed influencer, who was charged with driving under the influence, fought to have the monkey returned to her, even though Jorgie Boy suffered broken bones and weighed 6 pounds, less than half the average weight of a spider monkey.

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