Pío Figueroa, who operates a Latin convenience store in downtown Russellville, Alabama, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials on 30 January while transporting $21,000 (approximately £15,730) in cash to a local bank. The funds, collected through his shop's money transfer service, have not been accounted for since his arrest.
Figueroa's shop operates Telmax, a service enabling local residents to send remittances to families across Latin America. His family and legal representatives say they have no explanation for why he was stopped, and the community's money remains unaccounted for nearly two months.
Unexplained Traffic Stop Leads to Missing Business Funds
The cash Figueroa was carrying was not personal wealth but funds entrusted to his business by community members who rely on Telmax to send money to their families in Latin America. On 30 January, police stopped him while he was en route to deposit the cash at a local bank. His family and legal representatives have no explanation for why the stop was made.
Following his arrest, the entire $21,000 (approximately £15,730) went unaccounted for. No explanation has been provided to his family or attorneys as to what became of the funds.
Missing Body Cameras Make Answers Hard to Find
Since the arrest, Figueroa's family sought assistance from La Raza Legal, a local firm specialising in immigration cases. The legal team launched an investigation into the missing funds. Attorney Ruby Adams noted that inquiries encountered a significant obstacle due to the absence of accountability measures at the federal level.
'Local law enforcement, if they were involved, there would be body cam of the situation and a lot more protocols that are taking place,' Adams said. Because the arrest occurred at the federal level, the family was informed that ICE agents do not use such recording equipment. 'We're just being told that there's no body cams, so there's no way to track it,' Adams added.
Harsh Inmate Conditions Inside Winn Correctional Center
Following his detention, Figueroa was transferred to the Winn Correctional Center, a federal detention facility in Louisiana. He has since communicated with his family about conditions inside, reporting that detainees receive only two meals a day in small portions and that inconsistent temperature control in the facility has contributed to illness among those held. The accounts have compounded the distress of his family in Russellville.
ICE detain business owner—steal $21,000 in cash.
— LongTime🤓FirstTime👨💻 (@LongTimeHistory) March 13, 2026
He was driving to bank to deposit cash from his business—where locals wire money to relatives in Latin America.
Now faces deportation with no way to recover the money.
"We're told there's no body cam—no way to track it," lawyer… pic.twitter.com/ruawYL3Ewg
Deportation Threatens the Family's Future
The loss represents a significant financial blow to a family that emigrated from Guatemala eight years ago. Figueroa's wife has spoken of the difficulty of maintaining their home and business alone during his detention. The prospect of deportation has added to the family's concern, with fears that a permanent removal could also end any prospect of recovering the missing funds. Should he be deported to his home country, the family believes their chances of retrieving the money would be significantly diminished.
Multiple attempts to contact local law enforcement and federal immigration officials through press inquiries regarding the missing funds have yielded no response. The case remains unresolved as the family and their legal team continue to seek accountability from authorities.
