Thread: CBP seizes $1 million in undeclared currency

CBP seizes $1 million in undeclared currency

Posted: Sep 14, 2009 04:57 PM PDT

Updated: Sep 14, 2009 04:57 PM PDT

EL PASO, Texas - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers confiscated more than $1 million in three currency seizures at two El Paso ports of entry, CBP officials said.

CBP officers made their biggest catch at 2.30 p.m. on Friday when they pulled over a 1998 Ford Expedition going southbound on the Bridge of the Americas.

After the driver said he had nothing to declare, agents examined the SUV and found $802,720 which was hidden in the floor of the vehicle, officials said.

The driver, 33-year-old Luis Rodriguez Vasquez, and his passenger, 34-year-old Luis Borrego Meraz, both citizens of Juarez, were taken to the El Paso County Jail.

On Thursday, CBP officers confiscated $179,590 while working another southbound operation at Ysleta Bridge. CBP officials said the money was hidden in the spare tire of a 2007 Ford Expedition.

Driver Salvador Tostado, a 36-year-old man from Detroit, Michigan, was turned over to ICE agents.

A third seizure was made when CBP agents found $26,570 in the engine compartment of a 2006 Chrysler PT cruiser heading southwards on the Bridge of the Americas.

Jorge Hinojos, 30, the driver of the Chrysler, has been detained in El Paso County Jail. Officials said he is a Mexican citizen and resides in Juarez.

By KVIA intern Severin Enck

http://www.kvia.com/Global/story.asp?S=11129972

Outbound inspections really pay off.

ALL THE UNDECLARED CURRENCY FOUND BY THE CBP SHOULD GO INTO A SPECIAL FUND THAT WOULD BE USED TO DEPORT ILLEGAL ALIENS.