$4.2 mn found in two barrels in El Salvador

San Salvador, sep 13 (IANS/EFE) Police have found more than $4.2 million inside two barrels buried in El Salvador, raising the total amount of cash found in the area during the past two weeks to $15 million, officials said.

The National Civilian Police, or PNC, and prosecutors found the two barrels buried in Lourdes Colon, a city in central El Salvador.

The first barrel, which contained nearly $4.25 million was discovered Friday night at a house, about 19 km east of San Salvador in La Libertad province, while a smaller barrel containing $9,800 was found Saturday at the same site, the PNC said.

The containers were similar to those of the two barrels found in Penitente Abajo district in Zacatecoluca, a town some 56 km southeast of the capital, earlier this month, the PNC said.

The barrel contained 85 packets of $50,000 and $10,000, Radio Nacional El Salvador reported.

“It’s very likely that the smaller container was the one used by the people living at the house for cash to live on. Opening and closing it without having to disturb the big barrel, where the larger amount of money was stashed,” PNC deputy director for investigations Howard Coto said, adding that the police plan to continue searching the area.

Officials have not said where the money came from, but they have not ruled out the possibility that it is linked to drug trafficking.

–IANS/EFE