LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A federal appeals court has ordered Nebraska authorities to return $48,100 cash they seized from a man driving across the state in 2009.

The U.S. Court of Appeals decision on Friday overturned an earlier lower court’s ruling.

Nebraska authorities agree that John Nelson obtained the money legally, but they said he planned to use the cash to buy drugs.

The appeals court says authorities didn’t have evidence that showed Nelson planned to use the money for drugs.

Testimony showed that Nelson disliked banks and wanted to keep his money in cash instead of deposit it. He was driving from Denver to his parents’ home near Milwaukee when he was stopped.