wmlro.com: Man arrested with USD50,000 in car
In an interesting parallel with the Cuellar case, a man has been arrested making a break for the Mexican border with more than USD50,000 in his car. As in Cuellar, the "stop" was in Texas. Have attempts to sidestep the Supreme Court been successful?
22 year old Christopher Carbajal was driving a two year old Ford Taunus last week. But he was not a normal driver of such a boring car.
Carbajal was a transporter, employed to pick up a package and deliver it.
But when he committed a moving traffic offence, officers pulled him over. He was unable to produce a driving licence or documents relating to the ownership of the vehicle - and it is alleged that this was because he does not have any.
The vehicle was impounded - and then searched when a gym back containing USD50,125 in cash was discovered.
According to an affidavit filed at Court, Carbajal says he has, in the past "been involved in the sale of marijuana" and that he appeared to be taking the bag to Mexico but "did not know the actual amount that he was transporting, nor did he know how the money was packaged."
The Cuellar case is a cause celebre, the Supreme Court having (bizarrely in the view of many) concluded that hiding cash under the floor of a car and heading for the border is not "concealment" under US Federal law. Various attempts have been made to make that ruling irrelevant.
The Carbajal will test those attempts.
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