A San Patricio County Sheriff's Office deputy working a traffic assignment on US 77 north of Sinton arrested a Brownsville couple after discovering more than $90,000 in cash during a consensual vehicle search.
The deputy spotted a southbound Volkswagen Taos traveling at excessive speed and conducted a traffic stop. During the stop, the deputy noticed the driver's side window had an extremely dark tint.
A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper stopped to assist after observing the deputy on the scene. The trooper helped bridge a language barrier between the deputy and the vehicle's occupants — a husband and wife.
As the deputy and trooper spoke with the couple, their accounts of events were inconsistent, prompting further investigation. The deputy conducted a consensual search of the vehicle and found a duffel bag in the back seat filled with cash.
The couple, Ricardo Garza, 53, and Veronica Garza, 53, of Brownsville, could not explain the large amount of money in their possession.
Investigators with the Criminal Investigations Division counted more than $90,000 in the duffel bag after the couple was transported to the county jail.
Ricardo Garza and Veronica Garza were each charged with money laundering. Both posted bond the following day and were released. The investigation is ongoing.
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