Mexican officials seized more than $15 million in cash in the border city of Tijuana, which they believe to be property of the Sinaloa Cartel.
The Mexican Defense Department (SEDENA) claimed·that the find of $15.3 million is the second largest seizure of funds to occur during President Felipe Calderon’s administration. The first occurred in September 2008, when officials found $26.2 million in Culiacan, Sinaloa.
SEDENA spokesperson General Ricardo Trevilla provided few details about the operation, only saying that the money had been left inside a vehicle in downtown Tijuana, along with two handguns, two rifles, and three kilograms of cocaine. The military reportedly received a tip that the money was on its way to a Tijuana house which Trevilla described as a "center of financial operations" for the Sinaloa Cartel. The exact location of the house is unclear, although the AP·reports that locals noticed a large federal police presence outside of a property in an upscale Tijuana neighborhood on Tuesday.
Perhaps the biggest mystery of the case, however, is why no arrests were made at the scene. It is unlikely that a vehicle transporting such a large fortune would be left unattended, especially given that it was found via an anonymous tip.
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