The Mexican authorities confiscated 194,000 U.S. dollars they found hidden in a passenger bus in the state of Chiapas, southeastern of Mexico, the National Defense Ministry (Sedena) said Friday.

The money, hidden in a cardboard box inside the driver's luggage compartment, was discovered during a routine check at an inspection site on the Tonala-Pijijiapan federal highway, Sedena said in a communique released Friday.

A total of 193,750 dollars were seized, mostly in 100-dollar bills but with 1,150 50-dollar bills, the communique said.

Bus driver Domingo Malpica Ramirez was arrested and handed over to Arriaga municipality's Public Ministry to begin the investigation.

Sedena has seized some 1,090,371 dollars so far in May in actions related to organized crime and drug trafficking.

Source: Xinhua