C.B.P. News Release

2 Nigerians Arrested in Baltimore for Alleged Currency Smuggling

CBP Officers Seized $121,600 the Couple Failed to Declare at BWI

(Wednesday, April 28, 2010)

Baltimore – A Customs and Border Protection seizure of $121,600 from two Nigerians at Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport on April 9 landed the couple behind bars on Monday on allegations of bulk cash smuggling and related charges.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Olayiwola Taiwo Ameen, 39, and his wife Kudirat Oloruntoyin Ameen, 44, after a federal grand jury returned indictments on the Ameens on Thursday for alleged bulk cash smuggling, failure to report the importation of currency or monetary instruments, and materially false statements.

The Ameens will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.

“Travelers who deliberately refuse to comply with currency reporting requirements run the risk of losing their currency, and potentially face criminal charges, as this couple has learned,â€