Updated: Monday, 24 Jan 2011, 7:26 PM CST

Published : Monday, 24 Jan 2011, 12:43 PM CST

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/crime/man-on-bus-busted-for-money-laundering

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Austin Police discovered $25,020 bundled and wrapped in duct tape during a traffic stop of a Tornado charter bus.

49-year-old passenger Eligio Villela was arrested for money laundering after the cash was found in his backpack.

Friday morning, an officer in APD’s highway interdiction unit pulled the bus over for speeding and asked to talk to passengers after giving the driver a warning.

According to an arrest warrant, the officer noticed Villela was not making eye-contact as the officer interviewed other passengers.

While interviewing Villela, the officer asked to search his backpack and found the money bundled in $1,000 increments.

In further interviews with police, Villela stated he boarded the McAllen bound bus in Waco and was approached by a stranger who asked that he deliver the money to someone in McAllen. The stranger told Villela he would receive $300 to $500 for the transport.

This method is commonly used by drug trafficking organizations when trafficking money across the border.