Cartel Cash? Mexican Smuggler Nabbed Trying To Cross Border With Massive Haul

A Mexican woman attempted to quietly move $272,000 across the Texas border and into Mexico, where authorities believe the massive cash load would have ended up in the hands of the cartels.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers stopped a 46-year-old Mexican woman who was driving across the Colombia-Solidarity Bridge in Laredo, Texas, on her way into Mexico on April 21, the agency told The Daily Wire. The woman was referred for a routine inspection before officers scanned her 2017 Dodge Journey and discovered the unreported load of cash concealed in the floor of her car.

Officers quickly seized the cash and vehicle, while Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents arrested the driver, whose name was not released publicly.

Several Homeland Security sources working along the border told The Daily Wire that seizures of hidden bulk cash usually involve cartel funds.

Laredo Port Director Albert Flores said “bulk cash seizures like these” are “often proceeds from illicit activity” and “directly impact the pocketbook of foreign terror organizations.”

“Our frontline CBP officers continue to remain vigilant in the outbound environment and that attention to detail resulted in a significant outbound currency seizure,” Flores said.

Failing to declare currency totaling $10,000 or more while entering or leaving the United States is a federal offense, according to CBP. Concealing it with the intent of evading reporting requirements is also considered a crime.

In recent weeks, Laredo has become a hub for cartel smuggling.

This week, Border Patrol agents from across the southern and northern borders were asked to volunteer to help assist with a surge in illegal migrant “gotaways,” who attempt to evade law enforcement, in Laredo, The Daily Wire first reported. As part of the effort, CBP hoped to recruit at least 200 Border Patrol agents to help catch the illegal border crossers in the region.

A CBP spokesperson recently told The Daily Wire that the Laredo sector of the border “is bordered entirely by river, with no natural barriers to slow illegal crossings, which makes it a target when smuggling routes shift and evolve.”

“Thanks to President Trump, we have the most secure border in American history,” the spokesperson said. “Thanks to record low crossings, we have the manpower and flexibility to move agents quickly, concentrate resources, and take enforcement action where it matters most.”

Border Patrol agents encountered roughly 1,400 illegal migrants in April, marking an 86% increase in crossings, according to internal Homeland Security data reported by NewsNation.