Routine Williamson County Traffic Stop Yields More Than $184K In Cash

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TX — Sheriff's office officials on Wednesday said they sized more than $184,000 in cash during what began as a routine traffic stop.

On Tuesday at around 2 p.m., detectives conducted a traffic stop of a Jeep traveling south along the 1500 block of SH 130 to issue a citation for not passing on a left lane and for a missing center brake light. After securing verbal consent to search the vehicle, deputies found $184,520 in a cardboard box that had been placed in the back seat of the vehicle.

The driver, Jorge David Canales, 26, and his passenger, Cristina Núñez, 35, were promptly charged with money laundering and placed in detention at the Williamson County Correctional facility.

The case is still under investigation, according to sheriff's officials. Here's a photo provided by the sheriff's office of the seized cash:

The incident marks the second time Williamson County deputies have made a significant bust originating from a traffic stop and the third such incident in the area overall. On Monday, deputies seized more than 17 pounds of cocaine in a routine traffic stop along Interstate 35.

The bust happened at about 1 p.m. when deputies pulled over a 2007 Ford truck traveling north on I-35. the sole occupant identified as Jose Angel Rodriguez, 17, was initially pulled over for following too closely and driving in the left lane without passing, officials said in a press release. He was later formally charged for possession of cocaine.

The week before that, Austin Police Department officers pulled over another Ford truck along the 1000 block of North Interstate 35. With the aid of a drug-sniffing dog, officers said they found some 30 kilos of cocaine in the vehicle along with $4,400 in cash. Driver Armando Lopez, 28, and passenger Rogelio Saucedo, Jr., 36, were promptly arrested and charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Deliver a Controlled Substance.

>>> Booking photos of Jorge David Canales and Cristina Núñez provided by Williamson County Sheriff's Office