C.B.P. News Releases

Philly CBP Seizes $43k from Jamaica-Bound Passenger

Currency Detector Dog Discovers Concealed Stash in Checked Luggage

(Tuesday, December 07, 2010)

Philadelphia – Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Philadelphia International Airport seized $43,302 on Friday that a Jamaica-bound passenger failed to declare.

CBP currency detector dog Nina alerted to the woman’s carry-on bag during a routine outbound currency verification operation on a flight bound for Montego Bay, Jamaica. The woman, a U.S. citizen, allegedly admitted to possessing $5,000; however officers counted only $1,802. Currency K9 Nina then alerted to the woman’s checked luggage where CBP officers discovered an additional $41,500 concealed in the suitcase liner.

The woman abandoned the $43,302. CBP officers seized the currency and released the woman.

CBP routinely conducts random currency inspections of inbound and outbound travelers. There is no limit to how much currency travelers can import or export; however 31 U.S.C. 5316 requires travelers to declare amounts exceeding $10,000 in U.S. dollars or equivalent foreign currency.

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