$4 Million Traffic Stop: Tenn. Troopers Bust Smugglers Using Water Bottles
- Posted on March 17, 2011 at 10:12am by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Highway Patrol officers say they have seized more than $4 million in cash in duct-taped bundles hidden in cases of bottled water in a tractor-trailer, prompting the arrests of two California men.
A highway patrol statement said the tractor-trailer was stopped Saturday on Interstate 40 in Tennessee’s Cumberland County. Police say officers using search dogs found duct-taped bundles of cash inside the bottled water cases in the trailer.
Federal authorities say they charged 42-year-old Armando Guzman of Monreno Valley, Calif., and co-driver 44-year-old Francisco Javier Cruz of San Jacinto, Calif., with interstate travel with intent to promote a drug trafficking conspiracy.
Commissioner Bill Gibbons of Tennessee’s Department of Safety and Homeland Security said in a statement that I-40 is one of the nation’s leading corridors for drug trafficking.
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Comments (87)
Nick697
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 5:20pm“But Officer. Thees ees chost union contributions heading to Democratic headquarters.”
Report Post »usually_right
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 4:41pmWhy is it illegal to carry cash? Did they find drugs? I thought you people were conservative.
Report Post »mrmikejohnson
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 4:25pmGuzman and Cruz. Shocking.
Report Post »RebelSon
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 4:08pmEvery single bill in the country has been exposed to drugs, or stuffed into a stripper’s g-string. One way or the other, it’s gonna smell like crack.
Report Post »Keith B
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 3:39pmThis may have less to do about drugs and more to do with Muslim extremism. Are we getting sleepy again America? I can not begin to imagine the sorts of things that are going between our southern borders and our northern borders right now. God help us.
Report Post »lynnissmart
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 3:32pmCHIPS1
very funny!
Report Post »Ozymandias
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 3:27pmDid anyone check to see if they were “illegal aliens?” Oh, what does it matter Homeland Security will have them back on the US roads in no time after Obama gets his cut.
Report Post »Bigliardi
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 3:10pmI thank those poor ole boys wuz porfiled….Don’t them Tinnysee lawmen have enythang better to do than to targit poor law abidin Meskins doin jobs that nobody else will do…? An I kno they ain’t “his people,” but I thank this mite be somethin that our turney genril mite look at…He need to mak sure ol Bam Bam be gettin his share….After all, fo milyun be a big ol poke of green…..
Report Post »LadyLibertykicksASS
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 1:54pmGuzman is part of the Mexican Drug Cartel, relative of Shorty Guzman,!!!!
Report Post »Tickdog
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 1:16pmwow what a shock…
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 1:13pmHow much money can I carry without getting arrested? Not that it’s that big a problem for me but, I have driven around with $6K and $7K on me. If I had been pulled over, does the government impound my money, car and put me in jail?
Report Post »Down2TheC
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 1:41pmThe way the economy and inflation are going, we’ll need that truckload to buy groceries soon.
Report Post »code green
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 2:46pm$5,000 in cash will get you pulled aside at an airport . I don’t think that you can deposit $5,000 cash in your bank without it being reported.
Report Post »chips1
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 3:34pmOn the news a few years ago, a black that owned his own nursery, paid cash for a plane ticket to Florida to purchase plants. The airport reported him and law enforcement detained him immediately and took several thousand dollars. He now had to hire a lawyer to sue the gov. This cost more money than was taken. The government does this on a daily basis. It’s called asset forfeture. The public doesn’t know the half of it. Your kept in the dark on purpose.
Report Post »CameronIL
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 1:12pmI would not be surprised if the drivers of that truck even knew about it. They pick up a loaded trailer, that is sealed dropped at another place to be unloaded. This way these guys would not know anything if they got caught.
Report Post »garylee123
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 12:31pmCome on people. What’s the problem? This is the amount needed for diesel to travel cross country.
Report Post »sbenard
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 11:39am…but only 2 seconds after!
Report Post »Hisemiester
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 4:43pmThought the wall was due process.
Report Post »sbenard
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 11:33amThey should have used the nearest wall for a timely-justice firing squad, just as our Constitution promises. Okay, AFTER due process!
Report Post »commonsenseguy
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 11:21amwho would have known,that the unions are smuggling money in to fight against freedom,whoa,wait a minute ,just maybe that was soros bet to obama,for the ncca basket ball games.you know old george has connections and probably already knows who is going to win,just with obama,and world currency markets.they should take that money and feed the homeless with it,or give all to charity.
Report Post »Brad Wesselmann
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 11:06amGettin’ their kicks on Route 66……I‘m pretty sure it’s the same road.
Report Post »Total Lame Arse
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 11:01amAs former CA citizen who left Taxifornia, I knew they were Mexicans before reading the names. It a drug running state, and the Dems there are getting illegal votes and illegal money. They won’t shut down the drugs, just as they wouldbn’t shut down unions; because they are the direct beneficiaries of the continuation of it.
Report Post »TOPOFTHEGAME
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 10:39amSomebody help me??? I believe enough cash bungled and the strips in the dollar bill are enough to set off signal in airports,highway stop,bus stations. Has anyone else heard of that??????
Report Post »chips1
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 3:17pmYes I have, and they use it to monitor cash flowing south into Tijuana at the border. Used to be a limit of $10,000 taken out of the US. Don’t know if the amount has been changed.
Report Post »aburkholz
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 10:31amLeadThemToTheLight beat me to it, where do I get one of those dogs!
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 10:25amLet me give you another avenue to research as well:
Jesuit oath of induction as read into the Congressional Record, early 1800s.
You may find it shocking and interesting.
Report Post »BetterDays
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 1:02pmSo Snow, you know whom the real BEAST is, for you know her agents I see.
1648 years of religious/ political governance, how does she survive when all other systems fail?
She is “ The Other Hand ” .
Be well snow, Lord Jesus Keep my brother well.
Report Post »BetterDays
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 1:08pmSnow:
Report Post »Owe you an amends, for being snarky to you in the past, what I said was uncalled for. How can I make it right with you?
Leadthemtothelight
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 10:24amMust have been alot of bottles…4 million bucks!!….I need one of those cash sniffing dogs.
Report Post »mrsmileyface
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 10:20amHold on a second!!!!! Lemme break this down as its written. The troopers stopped a truck that was carrying 4 million dollars tapped to water bottle packages. It didnt say there were drugs anywhere to be found in the truck, the money taped to the waterbottles, or the water itself. Unless it was written somewhere on the bills that this money was to be used for drug traffiking how on earth can the police assume it was for drugs. The money could of been for coffee, So what if they were driving on I 40 that still dosnt make it illegal to transport money. I may be wrong but someone show me where they make an illegal act. Other than if they were speeding.
Report Post »Pezman
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 10:36amWads of hidden cash, is a common cause for an intent to distribute charge. It falls under the ‘reasonably man,’ theory. It is not reaonable for someone to be transporting that amount of cash. Having ANY reason for transporting that much cash in ANY manner, hidden or otherwise, will quickly make the charges go away. If I won the lottery, and was latter caught with $1MIllion in my trunk, I likely be so charged. When I demonstrated that the cash waspay in cash,” the charges would be dropped. If, however, I was a PT Burger King guy, without a rational explaination as to how I came about that amount of money, things would be a little different.
Report Post »Carolyn
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 10:38amYou are right about jumping to conclusions… nevertheless I will share what first went through my mind. Rent a protest cash!
Report Post »http://www.theblaze.com/stories/state-troopers-forced-to-drag-union-protesters-from-tenn-senate-hearing/
sharpshooter51
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 11:00amIf I found Mr Guzman and Mr Cruz with money hidden in cargo, lets see can you say profiling
Report Post »Pezman
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 11:32amtheblaze is acting up. Part of my post (Mid post) vanished. WASPAY? This was meant to read… WAS to show the cash was indeed mine, and that I was planning to buy a ranch in TX, and thought it would be fun to PAY in cash.
Report Post »maumau
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 3:07pmthe money would have been in pain sight had they been transporting legal cash but yea somethings already fishy if they have to hid the cash in water bottles to go from point a to point b, honesty needs no shady handling…
Report Post »Pattondog
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 10:16amcash sniffing dogs? who knew.
Report Post »My-Hero-is-Allen West
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 10:29amYes you did not know this? Washington is full of them. They are also all across our fair land now days. Some are called democrats, socialist, communist, liberals, progressives and a few I cannot list here.
Report Post »Insipid
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 10:31amActually when you have large sums of money that has been circulated dogs often smell the cocaine residue on it from the counting machines at the bank.
Report Post »JGP
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 10:49amDon’t forget the RINO.
Report Post »hologram5
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 1:32pmEvery American bill in existence has traces of cocaine on them. Every one.
Report Post »moonpeace
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 1:36pmThe dogs were drug sniffing dogs. With people involved with drug money there is always drug residue of some kind on the money.
Report Post »RedeemedWench
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 3:19pm@ My Hero Is A- West–THAT was funny! And ditto on Mr. West or Mr. Cain even!
But seriously. They just happened to have dogs there when the Troopers happened to pull them over?
Report Post »I am praying it was a tip or something. I live in TN and work in downtown Nashville right across from the Federal Building. We seem to have more and more cameras up, especially along I-40 go into and out of town. What’ s really questionable is the TVA police (ok, why?) sitting on I-40 more frequently. Oh, and we are having so-called drills for terrorist in RURAL towns, like mine, which is 65 miles from Nashville.
You ever see an Islamic terrorist blow up ANYTHING in a small southern town? I don’t think so! The good ole boys would never allow it. Thank God. :-) So why run the drills in our town, FEMA-nazi’s?
Showtime
Posted on March 18, 2011 at 1:22amMy Hero, that was a good one!!!
Report Post »cessna152
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 10:13amWait… the first clue would be they came from Commiefornia with “water bottles”. … no one out there drinks them because they are illegal…
Report Post »EqualJustice
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 10:15amESPECIALLY if they were in those “banned in California” plastic grocery bags!
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 10:23amI wonder if the money was heading south from Pelosi and into a off shore account of hers?
Report Post »Gold Coin & Economic News
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 10:30amHow do they find stuff like this when it’s hidden so good. I wonder if they had a tip.
Report Post »Gold Coin & Economic News
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 10:32am@Snowleopard Ha! I was thinking along the same thing, but couldn’t think of an appropriate crack quick enough. Good one!
Report Post »grandmaof5
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 10:33amSee, TN doesn’t need collective bargaining or raising taxes, they just need more drug busts to raise the salaries of policemen and firemen.
Report Post »fertlmind
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 10:34amI thought Stephen King and Michael Moore said RICH AMERICANS had all the cash?
Report Post »tobywil2
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 10:41amIs it illegal to carry large amounts of cash? If so, when does pocket money turn into contraband?
Report Post »http://commonsense21c.com/
tobywil2
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 10:45amIf the credit limit on my credit card is too high is that also illegal? http://commonsense21c.com/
Report Post »Klarky
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 10:51amI’m sure they will get off the hook, because they will plead they were being racially profiled.
Report Post »Dale
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 10:53amunion dues going to trumka.
Report Post »sissykatz
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 10:57amGood for them!!!!! Nice days work.
Report Post »banjarmon
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 11:05amThe truck was stopped in Tennessee for Algore, he wanted the money to help pay for his electric bill in one of his mansions.
Report Post »TOCOF
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 12:25pmActually, in California, the water bottles are worth more than the cash.
Report Post »KICKILLEGALSOUT
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 12:36pmMore hard working immigrants that are just here to contribute and make our country a better place! Multiculturalism is DEAD!
Report Post »When will we stop the foreign invasion of our country?!
Stand up and get angry America your country and your future is being ripped from your hands!
omgfolks
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 12:55pmGood ! now give all the money to a homeless shelter and lets move on.
Report Post »omgfolks
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 12:56pmGood, Now give the money to a homeless shelter and lets move on
Report Post »Anonymous T. Irrelevant
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 1:07pmNow if they can get Guzman and Cruz to talk, we might find out where it came from.
Report Post »silentwatcher
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 1:18pmA good bust,,,,I think. But how did the ‘canines’ bust the truck? They training them to sniff money now?
How did they tie the money in with drug trafficking “conspiracy?” My guess is they had an effective undercover.
Good bust, but tell us the truth about it, huh?
Report Post »ishka4me
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 1:23pmgenerally in drug operations, the one caught with to what law enforcement thinks is substantial is usually a decoy, while the large valuable payload sneaks by.
Report Post »marine249
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 3:57pmANONYMOS
water board
Report Post »fangbanger
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 5:32pmits not illegal to carry cash and dogs are trained to sniff out large quantities of cash.
this was obviously the result of a tip hence the conspiricy charge. no drugs so no possession charges. either the work of undercover agents or a decoy while the larger shipment went by.
if it wasen’t however the result of one of the above then it is a gross infringement on the truck drivers rights.
Report Post »ilovethiscountry
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 7:36pm$4 million will help eliminate any debt Tenn. has.
Report Post »Secret Squirrel
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 9:58pm………..
Aren’t crooks ever named Bill Smith and Bob Johnson and more?
“they charged 42-year-old Armando Guzman of Monreno Valley, Calif., and co-driver 44-year-old Francisco Javier Cruz of San Jacinto, Calif., with interstate travel with intent to promote a drug trafficking conspiracy.”
I know, they‘re just doing the jobs Americans won’t do, like driving a semi load of cash cross country.
Report Post »thepatriotdave
Posted on March 18, 2011 at 12:20amVery good stop! My hats off to the troopers that pulled these guys.
Who do you want to run for POTUS in 2012?
Report Post »http://www.americasteapartynews.com/tea-blog.php#/news/
thepatriotdave
Posted on March 18, 2011 at 12:21amDale
Report Post »Posted on March 17, 2011 at 10:53am
union dues going to trumka.
——————————————————
BINGO!
thepatriotdave
Posted on March 18, 2011 at 12:24amfangbanger
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 5:32pm
if it wasen’t however the result of one of the above then it is a gross infringement on the truck drivers rights.
——————————————————-
Bullpoop!
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on March 18, 2011 at 1:20am@silentwatcher
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 1:18pm
A good bust,,,,I think. But how did the ‘canines’ bust the truck? They training them to sniff money now?
How did they tie the money in with drug trafficking “conspiracy?” My guess is they had an effective undercover.
Good bust, but tell us the truth about it, huh?
Report Post »~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I know of drug-sniffing dogs, cadaver dogs, and bomb-sniffing dogs, but I’ve never heard of a money-sniffing dog before. It sounds like more went down that what they released, and that they didn’t release more information to protect the source of –say — a tip? It didn’t say whether the rig was eastbound or westbound, either. Also, it didn’t say whether it was detained at a chicken coup or not, and I can‘t remember if there’s a coup there in Cumberland County or not. I can tell you that, if it happened in Tennessee, they picked the wrong state to try it. Should have gone around. (I used to go around Ohio.)
gofigureinternational
Posted on March 18, 2011 at 9:56amWith the value of the currency now, it was probably just these two’s wallet!
Report Post »