Thread: CBP Officers Seize $242,000 in Unreported Cash, Suspects Arrested

Nogales CBP Officers Seize Nearly $243K in Unreported Cash, Suspects Arrested

(Wednesday, November 14, 2012)

Nogales, Ariz. — A pair of Mexican nationals were arrested over the weekend for allegedly attempting to smuggle $242,700 in unreported U.S. currency into Mexico through the Mariposa Port.

Monday, officers conducting routine inspections of travelers departing the United States selected a Chrysler van driven by a 37-year-old Mexican man for additional inspection and found $213,400 of unreported currency in 12 packages hidden behind the vehicle’s air conditioner control panel.

Sunday, officers selected a Nissan SUV driven by a 24-year-old Mexican woman for additional inspection prior to departing the U.S. and found two packages containing $29,300 of unreported currency inside the gas tank.

The vehicles and cash in both cases were processed for seizure. The subjects were arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

Individuals arrested may be charged by complaint, the method by which a person is charged with criminal activity, which raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent unless and until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

CBP's Office of Field Operations is the primary organization within Homeland Security tasked with an anti-terrorism mission at our nation’s ports. CBP officers screen all people, vehicles and goods entering the United States while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. Their mission also includes carrying out border-related duties, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation's food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Nogales CBP Officers Seize Nearly $243K in Unreported Cash, Suspects Arrested - CBP.gov

Baltimore CBP Seizes Almost $22K in Unreported Currency

(Tuesday, November 20, 2012)

Baltimore — Customs and Border Protection officers at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) seized $21,600 Sunday from a Nigerian man for violating federal currency reporting regulations.

The passenger, who arrived to BWI from London and was destined for Baltimore, repeatedly declared possessing only $10,000. His wife, also a Nigerian citizen, was travelling with him. While examining the passenger’s luggage, CBP officers discovered additional U.S. currency in an inside pocket of one of the bags. The final count was $21,600.

There is no limit to how much currency travelers can import or export; however federal law requires travelers to report amounts exceeding $10,000 in U.S. dollars or equivalent foreign currency.

CBP officers seized the $21,600 and returned $2,000 to the passenger for humanitarian relief. CBP officers also advised the traveler how to petition for the return of his seized currency.

“Travelers who refuse to comply with federal currency reporting requirements run the risk of having their currency seized, and may potentially face criminal charges,” said Ricardo Scheller, CBP Port Director for the Port of Baltimore. “The traveler was given multiple opportunities to truthfully declare his currency. The easiest way to hold on to your money is to report it.”

In addition to narcotics interdiction, CBP routinely conducts inspection operations on arriving and departing international flights and intercepts currency, weapons, prohibited agriculture products or other illicit items.
Travelers are encouraged to visit CBP’s Travel website to learn rules governing travel to and from the U.S. ( Travel )

The Privacy Act prohibits releasing the traveler’s name since he was not criminally charged.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/local/11202012_4.xml