February 23, 2008 Interstate 10, Arizona
Karen Anderson, foreign national of Belize, arrested with $319,065

On February 23, 2008 at about 8 p.m. an Arizona Department of Public Safety Officer made a traffic stop on eastbound Interstate 10 at milepost 60. The vehicle, a 2008 Ford Mustang, was stopped for not displaying of rear tail lights. The officer noticed a smell of marijuana coming from the vehicle. A subsequent search led to the discovery of a suitcase full of U.S. Currency. The total amount in the suitcase was $319,065.68. The driver, Karen Anderson (39 years old and foreign national of Belize) said that only $2,500 of the money was hers and claimed not to know where the other money came from. Karen Anderson was arrested for money laundering and booked into the La Paz County Jail. The case was turned over to detectives from the La Paz County Narcotics Task Force.

Source: Arizona Department of Public Safety