A man accused of robbing a Mesa bank allegedly did so to pay off a debt to a Mexican drug cartel.
Mesa police report that on September 15 they responded to a bank robbery near Recker and McKellips roads.
Police say 55-year-old Jeffry Lyn Tuffly handed a note to a bank teller demanding $60,000 in cash or, "a bomb would blow up the bank."
Tuffly was given about $4,000 in cash. He was found right after and followed by unmarked police units.
When Tuffly realized he was being followed, he sped through a retention basin and into a neighborhood, where he reportedly started throwing money out of the window.
Tuffly then surrendered to police.
When questioned, he allegedly told police that he owed money to a Mexican drug cartel and robbed the bank to pay off his debt.
He's been charged with armed robbery and theft.
