American Suspected Of Money Laundering On Mexico Side of Border Tuesday; (10/24/2017); 0100
La Cartita --- According to Excelsior, a US man driving a Chevy convertible into Sonora from neighboring Arizona was arrested on the Mexican side of the border for possesing 56 thousand dollars in cash. In Mexico, the legal limit is 10,000 dollars and this must be declared if one posseses a higher amount when in transit. The man was stopped by agents of the Mexican army at Puerta de México de Nogales, Sonora. A police canine sniffed the packets of money below the driver's seat.
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Money Laundering Goes From North To SouthCae ‘bad hombre’ que cruzaba de EU a México 56 mil dólares https://t.co/whBjlc6EMV pic.lacartita.com/VsKcIQIRvB
— Periódico Excélsior (@Excelsior) 22 de octubre de 2017
The Nogales, Arizona born man is being held by local authorities until the origins of this money are determined. Money laundering is thought of as a problem linked to straw-men who ferry money and luxury items down to Mexico without fear of suspicion due to their US citizenship and ethnicity. The funds are then used to finance the operations of drug cartels who exploit US over-consumption of narcotics.
However, Mexican domestic security forces have increasingly scrutinized non-Mexican visitors flowing into Mexico under suspicious circumstances and without a clear point of origin for high amounts of cash. Some even stay for only brief periods of time and can at times pose as tourists, but give away their 'side occupation' due to the frequency of their visits into Mexico.