Potter County authorities are seeking to claim $39,500 seized in a money laundering case, county records show.

On April 6, Potter County prosecutors filed a lawsuit alleging the cash constitutes proceeds from illegal activity and should be forfeited to the government.

During a March 31 traffic stop, Zenyada Guadalupe Portillo-Rodriguez, 21, was arrested on a charge of money laundering, $20,000 or more but less than $100,000, a third-degree felony. Court records show a Potter County deputy pulled over a vehicle on Interstate 40 near mile marker 59 for speeding.

Portillo-Rodriguez gave the deputy consent to search the vehicle after he observed several indicators of criminal activity. The deputy located a sealed cardboard box with $39,500 of U.S. currency concealed inside. The cash was separated out by rubber bands and was sealed in plastic.

Portillo-Rodriguez admitted to concealing the money in the box, but couldn’t answer questions correctly about the amount of money or how it was placed in the box, records show. She said she had been unemployed for five months.

A narcotic detection canine also responded to the money for emitting a narcotic odor, authorities said.

Portillo-Rodriguez was booked into Potter County jail, where she remained Tuesday in lieu of $25,000 bond, records show.

The money laundering charge carries a penalty of two to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.