Border Patrol catches woman smuggling cash stash, worth over $400K
Incident occurs off of I-5
OCEANSIDE, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) announces Friday that agents arrested a female on Tuesday in North County San Diego. She had 37 bundles of American dollars hidden inside her 2012 Toyota Prius, totaling $414,000.
It began around 3 in the afternoon when agents said they observed a "suspicious vehicle" on Interstate 5. After stopping the driver, USBP questioned the woman, 46, and requested permission to search her hybrid car.
San Diego Sector Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke said, "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."
While searching the vehicle, agents found nearly 40 cellophane-wrapped bundles of cash concealed within the doors. They immediately arrested the 46-year-old U.S. citizen, seizing both the 2012 Toyota Prius and currency.
"Seizing illicit gains from these criminal enterprises is a tactic used to keep our country safe," continued Heitke.
Homeland Security Investigations has since taken custody of both the cash and woman. She now faces criminal prosecution for currency smuggling.
