Saturday, August 28, 2010, 10:00 PM

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/blotter/entries/2010/08/28/man_faces_money_laundering_cha.html?cxntfid=blogs_the_blotter

A man is facing money laundering charges after police impounded the vehicle he was driving and discovered more than $50,000 inside, according to an arrest affidavit.

Christopher Carbajal, 22, was stopped for a traffic violation Thursday, and the 2008 Ford Taurus he was driving was impounded since he did not have a valid driver’s license or ownership proof of the vehicle, the affidavit said.

When the vehicle was subsequently searched, a gym bag was discovered inside containing $50,125 in bundled cash, the affidavit said.

Carbajal admitted that he had been involved in the sale of marijuana in the past and appeared to be a “courier” moving the money to Mexico, the affidavit said.

Carbajal “did not know the actual amount that he was transporting, nor did he know how the money was packaged,” the affidavit said. “Couriers often do not know the amounts they are couriering. Couriers often pick up the load and then transport it to a location and are never told what the package is.”

Carbajal faces a charge of money laundering, a third-degree felony, and a $50,000 bail, the affidavit said.

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