AUGUST 29, 2016
On August 23, US border agents patrolling north of San Diego intercepted two vehicles carrying more than $3 million in cash, in what a top official called the largest money bust in the sector’s history.
“This amount of money represents the largest currency seizure ever in San Diego Sector,” Chief Patrol Agent Richard A. Barlow said in a release. Agents confiscated “stacks of crisp $100, $20, $10 and $1 bills,”according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
It’s not yet clear why the men taken into custody were carrying such a large amount of cash, and they only face charges related to currency smuggling. But if this incident is related to drug trafficking, it illustrates a vital part of that industry that is often overlooked: smuggling money.