CBP seizes more than $240,000

July 31, 2009 9:41 PM
By ILDEFONSO ORTIZ, The Brownsville Herald

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a Brownsville man when he tried to drive into Mexico through an international bridge with more than $240,000 stashed in a pickup truck, court records show.

Jose Luis Fernandez, 26, was charged with evading currency reporting requirements and concealing and transporting currency totaling $240,245, according to a criminal complaint filled by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Fernandez went before U.S. Magistrate Judge Felix Recio, who ordered he be held without bond by the U.S. Marshals Service pending a detention hearing on Aug. 5, court records show

The arrest took place Thursday night at B&M International Bridge, when Fernandez drove a 2002 Chevrolet Silverado with Texas license plates to a southbound checkpoint at the bridge and was referred to a secondary inspection area, ICE said.

CBP field operations officers used X-ray imaging equipment to discover seven packages wrapped in foil paper containing the seized currency, court records show.

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