C.B.P. News Release

CBP Trained Mexican Customs Canine Finds $2.4 Million

(Thursday, June 23, 2011)

Mexico City — U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan D. Bersin today congratulated the government of Mexico on the seizure of $2.4 million in illegal cash at the Mexico City airport using a CBP-trained canine. The canine training was provided under the Merida Initiative, a joint US-Mexico effort to combat the threats of transnational narcotics trafficking and organized crime.

Earlier this month, Mexican customs inspectors discovered more than $2.4 million in cash stuffed into spools of telephone cable headed for Venezuela. A trained canine alerted his handler to the suspicious contents of the spools before they departed the airport.

“This seizure is representative of the success of the Merida initiative and our enhanced efforts to share skills and expertise with our Mexican counterparts,â€