Sheriff's deputies seize $327,000


Jason Hoekema
Cameron County Sheriff Omar Lucio speaks to the media regarding a large cash seizure during a media conference on Monday, May 22, 2017, in Brownsville, Texas. (Jason Hoekema/The Brownsville Herald)


Posted: Tuesday, May 23, 2017 3:30 pm
By Frank Garza | Staff Writer

The Cameron County Sheriff’s Department seized $327,000 after conducting a traffic stop in Brownsville on Sunday afternoon.

Deputies pulled over Roberto Muñoz Paz, a Mexican national, when he failed to properly signal.

“During the course of the stop, deputies noticed that he appeared to be a little nervous and while interviewing him, they noticed some bags in the backseat,” Sheriff Omar Lucio said at a Monday press conference. “They asked if they could search the vehicle and he agreed.”

The department’s sniffing dog alerted the deputies to something in the vehicle. When the deputies opened up the bags, they found bundles of marked cash.

“When you have that kind of money, you have reason to believe the individual was laundering money … the markings on the bundles gives indication to us that this is the way the people who work the cartel bundle it,” Lucio said.

Money laundering is a second degree felony that is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. The money may have been on its way to Mexico, Lucio said.

Paz was stopped at the intersection of Owens Road and Boca Chica Boulevard at 1:21 p.m., according to the report.

Deputies on duty routinely patrol the streets as part of Operation Stonegarden, Lucio said.

fgarza@brownsvilleherald.com

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