What started as a routine traffic stop on a Central Texas stretch of I-10 ended with a San Benito man in handcuffs and deputies pulling tens of thousands of dollars in suspected counterfeit cash out of a Jeep's exhaust, according to law enforcement.
Faliciano Martinez Fernandez, 49, of San Benito, was arrested after deputies say they found $64,000 in counterfeit money hidden inside a modified compartment in the exhaust of his Jeep. The stop happened Sunday evening on westbound I-10 in Fayette County, where deputies say the driver consented to a search that turned up tightly wrapped bundles of cash. Fernandez was booked on charges that include money laundering and unlawful use of a criminal instrument.
According to the Fayette County Sheriff's Office, a deputy pulled over a 2016 Jeep Patriot for a traffic violation at about 9:19 p.m., and the driver agreed to let the deputy search the vehicle. Deputies say that search led them to a "concealed exhaust compartment" loaded with wrapped bundles of money. In all, they seized $64,000 and arrested Fernandez on money-laundering and unlawful-use charges, as reported by Fox San Antonio.
What deputies say they found
Deputies described the discovery as cash packed into bundles and tucked inside a specially adapted section of the vehicle's exhaust system. That kind of hidden compartment is the sort of alteration investigators say can support an unlawful-use-of-a-criminal-instrument charge, because it appears set up to keep contraband out of sight during routine stops or inspections.
Not an isolated pattern
Law enforcement in South Texas has been bumping into bogus bills and the tools to make them for a while. In May 2025, Atascosa County deputies found counterfeit currency and a printer during a vehicle stop, according to reporting by KSAT. Local officers say cases like these show how counterfeit operations can surface in what begins as an ordinary traffic enforcement encounter.
Legal implications
Under Texas law, money-laundering charges scale up with the amount of money involved. An alleged offense tied to between $30,000 and $150,000 is treated as a third-degree felony. According to Texas Penal Code §34.02, that bracket would apply in a case involving $64,000. Separately, the state's unlawful-use statute allows prosecutors to treat devices, tools, or modifications intended to facilitate a crime as criminal instruments that can draw their own charge, under Texas Penal Code §16.01.
What's next
Fernandez was booked into the Fayette County jail and faces the charges filed by local authorities. Court dates were not immediately available. For official case updates and records, the Fayette County Sheriff's Office maintains booking and contact information on the county website; the Fayette County Sheriff's Office page includes contact details and guidance on accessing public records.
