Trucker faces life in prison after he’s allegedly caught with $1.7 million in cash

A Michigan truck driver is facing serious federal charges related to drug trafficking after he was caught with nearly $2 million in cash last week.

Fifty-one year old truck driver Edgardo Serrano is facing charges of money laundering and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, according to an April 24 press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office Southern District of Texas.

According to a criminal complaint filed on April 18, authorities discovered $1.7 million in cash hidden in Serrano’s truck during a search of the vehicle conducted at a repair shop in Hidalgo, Texas, on April 17.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says that the cash is believed to be the proceeds from an illegal narcotics sale conducted in Florida.

Authorities also said that Serrano was in the Rio Grande Valley to pick up a load of carrots, but the load “appeared to be a cover for what was actually a cocaine shipment destined for Florida.”

Serrano was scheduled to appear in federal court on April 24.

If convicted, Serrano faces up to life in federal prison and a $10 million fine.

The investigation was conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration.