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  • Jose Isabel Brito Jimenes
  • Jose Guadalupe Capacha
  • Herschel Lamar Cain II
  • Laytoya Marie Cox

COVINGTON – A traffic stop in St. Tammany Parish resulted in a seizure of nearly $370,000 in suspected drug money stashed in a secret compartment.

St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies stopped a vehicle driven by 36-year-old Jose Isabel Brito Jimenes, a resident of Mexico, on December 1.

Using a K-9 named Echo, the officers searched the vehicle and found $367,680 in cash in a hidden compartment built into the floor.

The officers also found a loaded firearm inside the vehicle, according to the STPSO.

Jimenes told police he was traveling from Houston, and said that the money was not his.

A second vehicle was also pulled over containing additional suspects police believe were involved in a narcotics transaction.

In addition to Jimenes, 40-year-old Jose Guadalupe Capacha, 32-year-old Herschel Lamar Cain II, and 34-year-old Laytoya Marie Cox were arrested for attempt and conspiracy, according to the STPSO.

Jimenes also faces charges of failure to use a turn signal and driving without a license.

The STPSO Narcotics Task Force, Mandeville Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations contributed to the investigations.