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Freeway stop leads to money-laundering charges Friday Feb 17, 2017 at 4:46 PM Feb 17, 2017 at 4:55 PM Nick Morgan Mail Tribune @mtcrimebeat One man has been arraigned and another is being sought following a January traffic stop on Interstate 5 that led to the seizure of marijuana and $25,000 in cash by the Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement task force. Jairo Francisco Farias-Valdovinos, 21, and Juan Carlos Gonzalez-Ceja, 31, both reportedly from Bakersfield, California, each face a felony charge of money laundering. Gonzalez-Ceja pleaded not guilty Monday in Jackson County Circuit Court, and a warrant was issued for Farias-Valdovinos after he failed to appear in court Wednesday. At just after 5 p.m. Jan. 12, Central Point police stopped Farias-Valdovinos and Gonzalez-Ceja near Exit 27, according to a court document filed by MADGE in the case. Farias-Valdovinos, the driver, lacked a driver's license, neither suspect had any identification, and neither suspect could say who owned the vehicle, police said. Gonzales-Ceja reportedly told police the two were traveling to Sacramento after they'd spent about four weeks in Eugene. Records showed the vehicle belonged to a Carlos Sanchez out of Bakersfield. MADGE investigators found $25,000 in cash hidden in a makeshift compartment below the vehicle's center console, and a bundle of marijuana that was wrapped in clear packaging and wrapped in duct tape, according to court records. Farias-Valdovinos told police he'd saved the money while working as a ranch hand over the past year, but was unable to name a supervisor or provide an address or phone number, police said. Jackson County Jail records show both men were booked in the jail Jan. 12 and released Jan. 13 because of overcrowding. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were contacted before their release, jail records showed at the time. Gonzalez-Ceja's next court appearance is set for Feb. 21, Circuit Court records show. — Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @MTCrimeBeat.