Couple from Mexico jailed for felony money laundering

A traffic violation along the westbound lanes of Interstate 10 near mile marker 663 last week, combined with a woman wearing far too heavy a coat for the temperatures that day, landed a couple from Monterey, Mexico, behind bars when officers discovered she wore the coat to hide the fact she had more than $100,000 in cash lashed to various body parts, Fayette County Sheriff Keith Korenek reported.

Drug Interdiction Investigator David Smith stopped the white 2015 Jeep Cherokee at 9:20 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 14. The officer said he noted several criminal indicators as he approached the vehicle, most notably, suspicious looking packaging materials scattered about, all consistent with drug concealment materials.

Three individuals were inside—a man, a woman, and a child in the back—Smith said he spoke with the male driver first before turning his attention to the woman, who was notably uncomfortable in the heavy coat she had on.

The officer was reportedly granted permission to search the vehicle, where he found a lot more on the packaging materials as he continued to quiz the woman about her attire. He eventually asked her to remove the coat, at which point it was obvious she was hiding something.

Smith was joined on scene by DPS Trooper Chase Grillet, who assisted as he continued the search. Multiple wrapped bundles of cash were located on the woman’s body, “wrapped all around her in a manner consistent with drug couriers,” Smith noted in his report.

According to report, a total of $109,608 was seized, all strapped to various parts of her body. The couple was then taken to the Dan R. Beck Justice Center and booked on felony money laundering charges.

Arrested were Efrain Guadalupe Hernandez Laurel, 45, and Adrianna Perez Valencia, 34, both of Monterey, Mexico. Their juvenile son was later released to a family member.