BEAUMONT, Texas — A woman could face money laundering charges following a traffic stop by Beaumont Police Sunday evening.
Interdiction detectives stopped a Jeep Commander along Interstate 10 at about 7:30 p.m. Sunday evening for "numerous traffic violations". They found nearly $130,000 hidden in the Jeep.
When detectives spoke to the woman who was driving she gave them permission to search the Jeep, police said.
During the search officers discovered a hidden, lead-lined compartment, in the Jeep that held $129,000 in cash.
The cash, which appeared to be in $100, $50 and $20 bills, was found duct taped and vacuum-sealed in several bundles, according to police.
While the woman wasn't arrested, the cash was seized while police investigate the case.
This caused many people began asking the question, what happens with the money seized by police?
In the law enforcement world, this is known as asset forfeiture.
Law enforcement officers say confiscating suspicious funds is necessary to keep citizens safe.
"We know that I-10 is a major thoroughfare for narcotics," said Beaumont Police Department PIO Haley Morrow.
When police perform a traffic stop and there are reasons to believe the money is connected to illegal activities law enforcement could arrest the suspect.
"What the law says about contraband...is anything that is unlawful or derived by unlawful means," said Criminal Defense Attorney Bruce Smith.
If that person goes to trial and is found guilty, the presiding judge can turn a small percentage of the money over to the prosecuting district attorney's office and a larger amount over to the police department.
"There are processes that eventually could lead to that, where we're able to use that to fund operations or other equipment and things like that," Morrow said.
However, this money cannot be used for salaries or bonuses. It must only to be used for equipment.
If it's honest money, Smith recommends hiring an attorney.
"If a person can prove that the money was derived lawfully then they're gonna get their money back," he said.
Police say they just want to make sure that they are able to keep the city safe.
"Our goal is to get this money off the streets of Beaumont," Morrow told 12News.
Charges are still pending for the woman whose money was seized by Beaumont Police.