Daughter of Michoacan Town Mayor Arrested in Texas for Trying to Enter Mexico With Guns and Thousands of Dollars
U.S. authorities have arrested a daughter of a Michoacan town mayor in Mexico after she tried to cross the border in Texas with $248,000 in cash and two firearms.
According to Animal Politico, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office (CBP) said Yeishi Moriya Villaseñor, the daughter of the mayor of Tacambaro, Michoacan, Artemio Moriya Sanchez, was apprehended while traveling in a Volkswagen Jetta 2022 vehicle to Mexico.
The 28-year-old woman was arrested in Texas after an inspection found two guns and the money she had not declared inside the vehicle.
Authorities said the estimated $248,531, Colt 45 ACP 1911 pistol, and Glock 9 mm gun were discovered within the door panels of the vehicle the mayor's daughter was driving.
Upon further inspection, Moriya Villaseñor was also found to possess additional U.S. dollars concealed in her waistband. The daughter of Tacambaro's mayor was handed over to the Webb County Sheriff's Office officers.
Michoacan Town Mayor's Daughter Arrested in Texas
According to Infobae, Yeishi Moriya Villaseñor was charged with money laundering. She was detained at Webb County prison in lieu of a $5,000 bond.
Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar said the mayor's daughter was arrested at the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge 2 southbound in Laredo, Texas on Monday. The seizure was carried out in the exit control process with the help of a canine team.
An officer sent the vehicle for a secondary inspection, wherein the dog did its part as the illegal cargo inside the panels of the car door of the Michoacan town mayor's daughter was found.
Alberto Flores, in charge of the port of entry of Laredo, said the seizure of the significant amount of outgoing money and weapons shows CBP's commitment to secure the border with law enforcement agencies.
Cuellar said Moriya Villaseñor's case is still under investigation. The initial probe found that the mayor's daughter went to Dallas, Texas to collect the money and bring it back to Michoacan.
It was reported that an individual named "Eduardo" contacted Moriya Villaseñor earlier this month. The mayor's daughter said Eduardo, who she has not seen for a long time, asked a favor to get the money to Texas and bring it back to her state.
She said he gave her an address where she left her vehicle to eat and when she came back, the vehicle was already "loaded."
U.S. authorities noted that people can move not more than $10,000 inside and outside the U.S. Amounts higher than $10,000 must be reported to the CBP. Tacambaro's mayor Artemio Moriya Sanchez has yet to comment on his daughter's arrest.
Daughter of Matamoros Councilor in Mexico Arrested
In March, Nallely Perez de Villarreal, the daughter of Morena's councilwoman in Matamoros Rosy Pérez, was arrested with a kilo of cocaine, also in Texas. Her mother said no one is guilty until proven guilty, according to Infobae.
Local police arrested Perez de Villarreal after being credited to traffic violations on March 11. But when officers noticed that she was nervous, the vehicle was checked and the illegal drug was found.
A Texas Department of Public Safety officer requested an inspection of Perez de Villarreal's red Nissan Murano unit after she was stopped when she ignored a red light. She was also reportedly driving with the headlights off.
The local cop asked the daughter's official if the content of the package was cocaine and she replied yes. Nallely Perez de Villarreal was immediately placed under arrest and taken to the offices of the Brownsville Department of Security.
READ MORE: Mexico: 90,000 People Have Disappeared Without a Trace Amid Drug War
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: U.S. Border Arrests Surge to Two-Decade High - From Reuters
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