Workers find nearly $1M stashed inside wall

It is the kind of wall insulation everyone in El Paso would love to have - cold or hot. Workmen fixing broken pipes that burst because of the freezing weather two weeks ago found a bundle of money inside a wall. Police would not say how much, but an official knowledgeable about the case said the amount is just shy of $1 million.

El Paso police spokesman Darrel Petry on Wednesday confirmed reports of the discovery inside a condo in the 6200 block of Escondido. Petry said he didn't know how much money was found, but described it as a "large sum." District Attorney Jaime Esparza also confirmed that the money was found and said the case is still under investigation.



Asked for comment, officials with the Drug Enforcement Administration directed all questions to the El Paso Police Department. Officials would not say in what denominations were found, what condition the money was in and where it is now. They also would not speculate on the source of the money and whether is was stashed legally or whether it may be connected to the drug trade.

Speaking in general terms, Petry said that in the past, discoveries of large sums of money have been tied to drug activity. "That has been the case in a vast majority of the cases that I've seen in the past," Petry said.