On the tails of our last currency seizure post (here) comes this story about an elderly Yuma, Arizona man concealing a total of nine packages of currency in his windshield cowling in an apparent effort to smuggle it out of the country and into Mexico. Like the last story, this is more about smuggled currency rather than just “unreported funds,” which is a bulk cash smuggling violation. This is a little different than the usual cases we handle, which are seizures of money by customs at the airport (but, you can read our popular page on Responding to a Customs Money Seizure HERE).
On to this story:
Tucson, Ariz. — A 74-year-old Yuma man was arrested Monday for attempting to smuggle nearly $109,000 in unreported U.S. currency into Mexico through the Port of Nogales.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers conducting outgoing inspections referred a Ford SUV for further inspection at the Dennis DeConcini crossing and located nine packages of currency hidden within the windshield cowling.
Officers seized the unreported currency and referred the driver to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
On Sept. 16, officers at the Mariposa crossing seized more than $189,000 found in the roof of a vehicle attempting to cross into Mexico.
If you have had cash seized by customs and are contemplating what to do next, please make use of the other information available on this website or call our office at (734) 855-4999 to speak to a customs lawyer, or e-mail us through our contact page. We are able to assist with cash seized by customs around the country, including Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Orlando and many other places, and not just locally in Detroit.
Read these other articles about customs money seizures:
- Seizure of currency and monetary instruments by U.S. Customs
- Customs currency seizure for bulk cash smuggling into or out of the U.S.
- Customs currency seizure; Structuring currency imports and exports
- Is it $10,000 per person? Â Under what circumstances is filing a report with Customs for transporting more than $10,000 required?
- Criminal & civil penalties for failing to report monetary instrument transportation
- Is only cash currency subject to seizure by Customs?
- Getting money seized by U.S. Customs back while staying overseas
- How long does it take Customs to decide a petition for a currency/monetary instrument seizure?
- Customs currency seizure; Tuition Money Seized by Customs