Attorneys representing Community Auto Center owner Quirino Garcia-Cosino and his employee Diana Peralta-Trujillo have filed motions to suppress evidence in a money laundering case against the two.

On Sept. 10, officers with the Georgia State Patrol stopped a Cadillac Escalade that was being driven by the Gainesville business owner on Pearl Nix Parkway.

During the stop, officers seized $150,000 in cash and alleged Garcia-Cosino believed the money came from a Mexican drug cartel. They said Garcia-Cosino and Peralta-Trujillo were to exchange the large bills for smaller ones and return the balance, minus a 15 percent commission to the cartel.

Because Peralta-Trujillo was a passenger in the vehicle and not the driver, her attorney Barry Lombardo, claims the "subsequent search of (her) person and property and her interrogation" all violated her Fourth Amendment rights, which protect citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures.

Lombardo further claims such a violation would make any items or statements obtained from Peralta-Trujillo during the stop to be tainted from illegal seizure.

Daniel Summer, attorney for Garcia-Cosino, also alleges the traffic stop violated his client's Fourth Amendment rights.

In his motion, Summer claims Garcia-Cosino had not performed any moving violations or violated any other laws to warrant his vehicle being stopped by the state patrol.

Following the stop, both defendants were questioned and detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Peralta-Trujillo was released on a $35,000 cash bond in October, butGarcia-Cosino remains in custody.

Neither defendant was present during a pre-trial conference Wednesday afternoon.

During the conference, U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan S. Cole agreed to consider the suppression motions during a hearing in December.

From May through July, the defendants allegedly accepted $150,000 in cash from a person they believed to be a representative of the Juarez Cartel, U.S. District Court officials say. After taking the cash, officials allege the pair would retain a 5 or 10 percent commission, and return the rest of the money to the representative in the form of a cashier's check.

ICE officials created the fictitious cartel as a means of investigating reported illegal activity at Garcia-Cosino's business.