The chance capture of three men found carrying a total of more than 4 million pesos (more than US $250,000) has Mexico City authorities looking for answers.
In all three separate cases, the suspects were pulled over for driving erratically and not wearing their seat belts and, upon inspection, found to be in possession of large sums of cash. None of the men were able to provide a reasonable explanation for the money.
The first incident occurred on Feb. 21 in the Lomas de Chapultepec neighborhood in western Mexico City. When asked for his license, the driver exited his vehicle, claiming it was in the back seat, whereupon the policeman saw two boxes that were filled with cash.
Questioned about the money, the suspect contradicted himself repeatedly, offering incoherent explanations. The man, identified as Luis Ángeles Cano, 39, was apprehended and taken to the Mexico City District Attorney’s Office for further questioning.
On March 6, El Universal reported that another man was stopped in the same Lomas de Chapultepec neighborhood under similar circumstances — changing lanes erratically and not wearing a seat belt.
During the traffic stop, police noticed a gray duffel bag in the front passenger seat stuffed with cash. The unidentified suspect could not satisfactorily explain the origin of the 1.1 million pesos (US $68,000) and was taken into custody.
Two days later, an El Universal report described a nearly identical episode, again in Lomas de Chapultepec. This time the driver reacted nervously upon spotting a police cruiser and when the officer noticed he was not wearing his seat belt, the car was pulled over.
When the driver reached into his backpack to retrieve his license, the policeman noticed a large amount of cash — 700,000 pesos (nearly US $42,000). The suspect was unable to produce any documentation authenticating the source of the money and was arrested.
The authorities have so far declined to verify the status of the three individuals involved.
The incidents had El Universal speculating the illicit cash might be related to the upcoming elections.
With reports from El Universal and Infobae
