San Clemente, California - U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested a woman Tuesday afternoon who had nearly $112,000 hidden inside her vehicle.
At approximately 1 p.m., USBP agents conducted a vehicle stop on a Ford F250 truck traveling southbound on Interstate 5 near San Clemente. The 23-year-old driver was traveling with her young child.
woman Tuesday afternoon who had nearly
$112,000 hidden inside her vehicle.
As agents questioned the woman, she made several inconsistent statements, leading agents to request consent to search her truck.
After receiving the woman’s consent, agents searched the truck and located a backpack on the front passenger floor area. Inside were three plastic bags filled with bundles of U.S. currency. The cash count amounted to $111,930.
The currency and the woman, who is a U.S. citizen, were turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for investigation and the child was released to family members. The vehicle was seized by the U.S. Border Patrol.
“The U.S. Border Patrol works tirelessly to protect the Homeland from transnational criminal organizations- the same criminal enterprises that poison our communities with narcotics and smuggle human beings like cargo. Seizing illicit gains from these criminal enterprises is one of the tactics the USBP uses to keep our country safe,” said Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke.
To prevent the illicit smuggling of humans, drugs, and other contraband, the U.S. Border Patrol maintains a high level of vigilance on corridors of egress away from our Nation’s borders. To report suspicious activity to the U.S. Border Patrol, contact San Diego Sector at (619) 498-9900.