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.