C.B.P. News Release

CBP in Cincinnati Seizes More Than $600K in Cash Bound for Colombia

(Monday, August 15, 2011)

Chicago – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Cincinnati, working in conjunction with shipping company DHL, made a shocking discovery early Saturday morning. While examining two separate shipments, manifested as tortilla roller machines, officers found more than $600,000 in U.S. currency hidden within.

On Aug. 13, CBP officers inspected two shipments containing a total of eight tortilla rollers from Mexico. During an x-ray examination, a CBP officer noticed an anomaly and upon drilling through the rollers of the press found a green and white substance that was consistent with paper money. Upon removal of a roller end cap, the officers were able to see rolls of currency wrapped in plastic. A total of $639,700 in U.S. currency was seized. The two shipments of eight tortilla presses originated from the same individual in Mexico and were headed to Bogotá, Colombia.

“This is the largest seizure of bulk currency smuggling in the history of CBP in Cincinnati,â€