Seizing millions

By NICK GEORGIOU
LAREDO MORNING TIMES
Published: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 3:22 AM CDT

More than $9.9 million has been seized at Laredo ports of entry since Oct. 1, the beginning of the 2009 fiscal year.

That's more than triple the amount intercepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers during the 2008 fiscal year.

"We've had several seizures of a million (dollars) or more," said Rick Pauza, local CBP spokesman.

"We've definitely seen a significant surge in currency seizures at the Laredo ports of entry."

The agency's latest million-dollar seizure happened at about 2 p.m. Saturday at the World Trade Bridge.

According to CBP, officers inspecting southbound traffic found $1 million in undeclared currency from a driver enrolled in a trusted shipper program.

The interception occurred shortly after officers referred a 1999 Freightliner truck for secondary inspection.

The truck, driven by 26-year-old Nuevo Laredo resident Jose Luis Martinez-Gonzalez, was hauling a shipment of appliances.

According to CBP, Martinez-Gonzalez gave officers a negative declaration, meaning he told them that he did not have weapons, ammunition or currency in excess of $10,000.

During the routine inspection of the tractor's sleeper cab, a CBP canine alerted officers to the mattress in the sleeper cab.

A nonintrusive imaging system scan then revealed anomalies in the same area.

Upon closer visual inspection, officers found vacuum-sealed clear plastic bundles of cash hidden under the mattress.

The cash totaled $1,000,035.

Martinez-Gonzalez was arrested on federal bulk cash smuggling charges and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, who will investigate the seizure.

The truck also was seized.

Martinez-Gonzalez appeared before a U.S. magistrate Monday and has been ordered held in federal custody without bond pending a preliminary examination and detention hearing scheduled for April 20.

"Our CBP officers working hand in glove in southbound inspections together with Border Patrol agents and ICE special agents have been making excellent bulk currency interceptions in the

outbound arena recently and this is an impressive seizure to add to the accomplishments of our outbound team," Gene Garza, local CBP port director, stated in a news release.

Also recently, CBP officers seized about $3 million in a bus heading to Mexico.

In fiscal year 2008, CBP officers at Laredo ports of entry intercepted more than $3.1 million in undeclared currency in 146 different seizures.

So far in fiscal year 2009, CBP officers have seized more than $9.9 million in 62 interceptions.

(Nick Georgiou may be reached at 728-2582 or nickg@lmtonline.com)

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