Border Patrol seizes thousands in smuggling proceeds near Blythe
NEAR BLYTHE, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - A traffic stop near Blythe put a Guatemalan national behind bars, and led to the seizure of $40,000 in smuggling proceeds.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) called Border Patrol Tuesday afternoon after pulling over a vehicle along Interstate 8 near mile marker 51. DPS said it had stopped an undocumented immigrant with a large quantity of cash.
Agents say they verified the 23-year-old man was in the country illegally. They say the man initially claimed he was going to use the large stash of cash to buy construction equipment in Phoenix. They say he later admitted the money was actually profits from smuggling activities.
The man was arrested and will face federal charges.
