Mexican Official Detained With Almost $2 Million In Suitcase and Backpack . . . Treasury Secretary Assures Public It Is Perfectly Legal

This week, Miguel Morales Robles, a Mexican state official from Veracruz, was detained at an airport with $1.9 million stuffed into a briefcase and a backpack. However, Tomas Ruiz, treasury secretary for Veracruz state, assured the public that it was all perfectly innocent and legal — the official was just taking cash to Mexico City to pay an advertising firm to promote festivals.

Ruiz insisted that they were taking the cash simply because the work had to be done quickly. Opponents allege that it was an effort to circumvent campaign finance laws by the Institutional Revolutionary Party.

Given the corruption in Mexico, one would think that (even if this claim is true) it would be scandalous that any official would withdraw almost $2 million cash for work to be done for the government. Last time I checked, Mexico had bank transfers and other electronic forms of transfer. One would think that the Treasury officials would be particularly familiar with such systems and insistent on their use in payments.

Source: MSNBC