Mexican mom with child caught with drugs, money in Pinal County

On Monday, June 2nd, 2014 at 5:56 p.m. a Pinal County Sheriff’s K-9 deputy conducted a traffic stop on a 2000 Chevrolet Impala sedan for a traffic violation, eastbound on Interstate 10 at Mile Marker 207, outside the city limits of Eloy.

The deputy made contact with the driver, who was identified as Maribel Toscano, age 26, from Mexico. She appeared to be very nervous. Toscano told the deputy she was driving back to Mexico after shopping all day in Phoenix.

While speaking with Toscano, the deputy noticed she had two large bundles of cash wrapped with rubber bands, inside of her purse. The deputy saw a three-year-old child and newly purchased merchandise in the rear seat of the vehicle.

The deputy could also see additional bundles of cash wrapped in plastic next to the car seat. Toscano admitted to receiving the money in Phoenix from a Mexican Drug Cartel member, with instructions to transport the money to Mexico. She admitted after receiving the money she separated and packaged the money in the plastic wrap. K-9 Troy alerted to the presence narcotics coming from the bundles of money.

The money, totaling $69,975 dollars and the vehicle were seized as evidence and the forfeiture process has been started.

Maribel Toscano was arrested and booked into the Pinal County Jail for one count of Money Laundering. Her child was turned over to a friend.

Sheriff Paul Babeu stated, “Arizona is ground zero for drug and human smuggling. Pinal County is one of the most active counties in all of America for cartel smuggling operations. Not only has President Obama turned a blind eye to this problem but now he is allowing the Department of Homeland Security to send bus loads of illegals into Arizona from Texas and drop them off. Imagine how quickly we would get true border security if these illegals were shipped to his hometown in Chicago, IL or Washington, D.C.”