Border Patrol agents arrested a man who was allegedly smuggling a large amount of illicit currency after a vehicle stop on Interstate 5 near Oceanside on Monday morning.
At approximately 10 a.m., the agents stopped the suspect vehicle, a 2015 Nissan Altima, on the southbound lanes of the freeway, near the Harbor Drive exit.
An inspection revealed a sealed 5-gallon bucket of paint in the trunk of the car containing six vacuum-sealed bundles containing $290,000 cash, according to authorities.
Authorities believe the cash is suspected to be proceeds from illicit narcotics sales.
The man, 23, was arrested and turned over to agents from Homeland Security Investigations. The vehicle and currency was seized by the Border Patrol.
