Tag: customs

CBP Seizes $95K in Cash at Dulles Airport

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on August 19, 2022

Dulles CBP officers made a few large money seizures for failure to file a FinCen 105 form, which it touted last week in a news release, available to read in full here. However, I’m an attorney here blog about the highlights. First, however, a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are two-thousand words:

Here’s the money seizure story to back up the picture:

Three groups of travelers recently learned [holding onto one’s money is imperative] after CBP officers seized a combined $95,397 in unreported currency at Washington Dulles International Airport.

Two groups of travelers were attempting to board departing international flights when CBP officers encountered them. A Lebanon-bound couple surrendered $29,052 to CBP officers on July 21, and a Nepal-bound family surrendered $32,001 to CBP officers on July 26. On July 31, a South Korean family surrendered $34,344 to CBP officers after arriving on a flight from South Korea.

In each case, CBP officers discovered more currency during baggage examinations than what the travelers reported to CBP officers. CBP officers seized their currency and released all travelers to continue their trips.

The story has interesting use of the word “surrender.” As if they had a choice! Unless, of course, CBP means they “abandoned” the currency. That’s a terrifying reality we’ve made a video about (here).

Also, releasing “all travelers to continue their trips” does not mean they did were able to make their flight (highly doubtful!) or did not have any re-booking and hotel fees. The seizure of money by CBP has add-on effects; the interrogation, counting, and seizure procedures are time-consuming and so typically, you miss the flight (and so maybe your bags, if they’ve already been loaded); you are responsible to re-book on another flight; and if the next flight isn’t for a day or more, you’ve got to sleep in a hotel.

Has Dulles CBP seized your cash?

If Dulles CBP has seized your cash, we urge you to call us for a consultation before considering doing it yourself. You probably will not be happy with the outcome if you do, based on Dulles’ aggressive posture in most cases. Read our trusted customs money seizure legal guide (or watch the videos) and can contact us for a free currency seizure consultation by clicking the contact buttons on this page.

Dulles CBP Seized $46K in Money from Airport Traveler

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on November 5, 2021

CBP at Dulles airport seized $46,000 from a man traveling to Cameroon. He reported having $30,000, but CBP found $16,628 more tucked away inside his carry-on bag (ahem, bulk cash smuggling). The full story is here, with my comments on the excerpt below:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized $46,628 in unreported currency (ahem, failure to report) from a man traveling to Cameroon at Washington Dulles International Airport on Monday.

CBP officers conducted random outbound inspections of passengers boarding a flight to Brussels, Belgium and asked a U.S. citizen how much currency he possessed. The man reported verbally that he had $30,000 and completed a U.S. Treasury Department form (FINCEN 105). During a subsequent examination of the man’s carry-on bags, CBP officers discovered a total of $46,628 in U.S. dollars.

. . .

CBP seized the currency and returned $628 to the man as humanitarian relief and released the man to continue his travel. CBP is not releasing the traveler’s name because he was not criminally charged.

Bad things can happen to you if you do not report your currency, read all about that at Long Term Consequences of Cash Seizure (or if you prefer to watch me talk about it, go to my YouTube video on the topic)

Has Dulles CBP seized your cash?

$200,000 in Cash Seized by Customs Detroit at the Ambassador Bridge

Ambassador Bridge Site of $230k Customs Money Seizure

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on September 30, 2021

Detroit’s Ambassador Bridge was the site of recent money seizures of more nearly $230,000 by Customs for failure to declare cash over $10,000, in commercial vehicles traveling into Canada.

The news releases, below, says the money was taken because the driver failed to report the cash at the Ambassador Bridge (but I have to imagine there is a bulk cash smuggling violation somewhere in this, too).

Here’s the Tweet from Detroit’s director of field operations announcing the seizures…

More than $200k in cash seized by @CBP Officers at the Ambassador Bridge in two separate incidents of travelers attempting to leave the United States.
Full Details 👉 https://t.co/GZF9wsPafV pic.twitter.com/1UMFLfo18O

— CBP Great Lakes (@CBPGreatLakes) September 29, 2021

This is the biggest seizure of undeclared cash in Detroit to hit the news in a while. I’m sure the discovery of this amount of money has caused a lot of controversy and interest at the port the last few days. Here’s the full story from CBP, below:

DETROIT — Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Office of Field Operations seized $200,000 in undeclared U.S. currency at the Canadian border early Tuesday morning.

The cash was discovered by officers during a series of outbound commercial vehicle inspections near the Ambassador Bridge port of entry.

The cache of currency was seized due to failure to report, and the driver was released without further incident.

Homeland Security Investigations continues to investigate the matter. Less than 24 hours earlier, $28,000 in undeclared currency was seized at the same site.

Update 11-12-21:

This week, notice was published of the intent to forfeit the above seized cash. Anyone with an interest in it has until January 11, 2021, to file a claim (unless they received personal notice in the mail, then other deadlines apply):

2021380100131801-0001-0000, Seized on 09/28/2021; At the port of DETROIT; U.S. Currency; 2000; EA; Valued at $200,000.00; For violation of 31 USC 5317(c)(2), 31 USC 5316(a)(1)(A), 31 USC 5332(c), 31 USC 5332(a)

Those legal references mean it was seized for bulk cash smuggling and a failure to report. This is a case I would have liked. The fact that notice has been posted publicly means that the time for filing a petition has past, or the interested person probably decided to file a claim or an offer in compromise (that would probably be a bad idea).

Has Detroit CBP seized your cash?

If CBP in Detroit seized your cash, you need a lawyer. Read our trusted customs money seizure legal guide and can contact us for a free currency seizure consultation by clicking the contact buttons on this page.

About $96,000 seized by CBP in Arizona laid out on table

CBP Officers Seize Cash in Nogales

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on August 27, 2019

Here’s a CBP money seizure story that first popped up in May in one of CBP’s news releases, but it’s worth going over again because it resulted in an arrest and seizure of $96,000.

TUCSON, Ariz. –U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizona’s Port of Nogales arrested two Mexican nationals & a U.S. citizen involved in connection with a pair of separate failed smuggling attempts over the past weekend.

Friday evening, officers at the Mariposa Crossing referred performing outbound operations a 26-year-old Mexican male and his 28-year-old U.S. citizen passenger for further inspection of his Ford sedan. A search of the vehicle, led to the discovery of two large bundles of unreported U.S. currency that were hidden within the car’s rear seats. The packages contained nearly $96,000.

Officers seized the drugs and currency, as well as both vehicles. The subjects were all arrested and then turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

Has CBP seized your cash?

If CBP has seized your cash, you need a lawyer. Read our trusted customs money seizure legal guide and can contact us for a free currency seizure consultation by clicking the contact buttons on this page.

$20,000 in U.S. Currency stacked in piles after seizure by Customs at Boston Logan airport.

Customs seizures $21k cash at Baltimore airport (BWI)

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on June 26, 2019

Customs officers confiscated about $21,000 from a couple coming to the United States from Nigeria in early June. The cash seizure took place in Baltimore, at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

The story points out the potential criminal consequences of not reporting money, and also incorrectly states the law (again, saying “$10,000 or more” rather than “more than $10,000” as the requirement for reporting cash to CBP on FinCen 105).

The story, originally published here by CBP, is below:

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized nearly $21,000 of unreported currency Friday at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI).

A Nigerian couple, who arrived on a flight from London, reported to CBP officers that they possessed $15,000 in currency. Officers discovered an additional $5,850 in the woman’s purse. Officers seized $20,850 and then released $4,990 to the couple as humanitarian relief. Officers released the couple to continue their visit.

It is perfectly legal to carry large sums of currency in or out of the United States. However, federal law requires that travelers who possess $10,000 or more [ugh! it’s more than $10,000] in currency or other monetary instruments must report it all to a CBP officer at the airport, seaport, or land border crossing when entering or leaving the country.

“Customs and Border Protection officers are highly trained to uncover illicit activity and they are committed to enforcing the laws of the United States,” said Casey Durst, CBP’s Field Operations Director in Baltimore. “Unreported currency often can be proceeds from alleged illicit activity, or used to fund transnational criminal organizations and I commend our officers on this interception”.

CBP recently issued travel tips for international travel through BWI. Chiefly among those tips is for travelers to truthfully report all currency they possess to a CBP officer during inspection.

Consequences for violating U.S. currency reporting laws are severe; penalties may include seizure of most or all of the traveler’s currency, and potential criminal charges.

CBP uses a variety of techniques to intercept narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, and other illicit products, and to assure that global tourism remains safe and strong. On a typical day, CBP seizes an average of about $290,000 in unreported or illicit currency along our nation’s borders. Learn more about what CBP accomplishes during “A Typical Day.“

Notice of Penalty or Liquidated Damages Inccured by CBP

Failure to Report Arrival or Advance Electronic Cargo Information Penalty

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on October 26, 2018

U.S. Customs & Border Protection enforces many laws and regulations that concern arriving at the border, presenting merchandise to Customs, filing advance cargo information, and unloaded merchandise or off-loading passengers without authorization.

For instance, 19 CFR 123.92 requires advance cargo information for commercial shipments from Canada and Mexico be sent to CBP electronically 30 minutes or 1 hour prior to the “carrier’s reaching the first port of arrival in the United States, or such lesser time as authorized . . .” even if the carrier is just transiting through the United States.

Similarly, 19 USC 1433 requires that any vessel, vehicle, and aircraft report their arrival, and present all person and merchandise for inspection to a customs officer.

What happens if fail to report arrival or violate CBP’s entry regulations?

If you fail to report arrival, present false documents or paperwork, violate regulations regarding the entry and arrival of vehicles, or discharge passengers or merchandise without Customs authorization, you are liable to a penalty of $5,000, and possibly seizure of the conveyance and the merchandise stored in it.

If you have a prior offense, the amount can increase to $10,000. In the case of an unreported or improperly entered conveyance, Customs can impose the value of the merchandise (or if they conveyance itself is the merchandise… the value of the conveyance) in addition to the $5,000 or $10,000 standard penalty.

If receive a penalty for these failures under 19 USC 1436, we can file a petition for mitigation and you can expect your mitigated penalty to be reduced. The reduction varies on the type of violation, who committed, and the presence of aggravating or mitigating factors.

An image of a traveler's with $10,000 sewn into his pants which was seized by uscbU.S. Customs & Border Protection

Boston CBP Seizes Cash Sewn into Pants

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on January 24, 2018

CBP officers at Boston’s Logan airport seized nearly $30,000 from a man who was returning from Israel. The story, detailed below, reveals that the money reported traveling with $14,000; CBP inspected his bags, discovered another $4,000 which led to a more intensive search. It was at this point that they discovered $10,000 sewn into the lining of his pants. CBP seized the cash.

The bulk cash smuggling law states:

Whoever, with the intent to evade a currency reporting requirement under section 5316, knowingly conceals more than $10,000 in currency or other monetary instruments on the person of such individual . . . shall be guilty of a currency smuggling offense . . . . the concealment of currency on the person of any individual includes concealment in any article of clothing worn by the individual . . .

Sewing it $10,000 into your pants is classic, along with not reporting the full amount you are carrying in other places, is classic bulk cash smuggling. Here’s the full story from CBP

BOSTON – On January 18, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Logan International Airport intercepted an inbound traveler found with a stack of concealed currency sewn into the lining of his pants.

The subject, a 51-year-old male, U.S. citizen arriving on a flight from Israel, reported to officers that he was carrying $7,000 and an extra $7,000 for a family friend. During a baggage examination, the subject presented approximately $18,000 however, further inspection revealed an additional $10,000 sewn into the pockets of his pants. In total, CBP officers discovered and seized more than $29,000.

Travelers may carry as much currency as they wish into and out of the United States. Federal law requires that travelers must report all U.S. and foreign monetary instruments totaling $10,000 or greater on a U.S. Treasury Department financial form. None of the currency is taxed.

“There is no limit to how much money a traveler can carry, but it is important to honestly declare the total amount to CBP officers during inspection,” said Boston Area Port Director Clint Lamm. “This seizure exemplifies that violating currency reporting laws can have serious consequences.”

According to NECN, “During a baggage examination, officers found another $4,000 in his luggage. An additional $10,000 was found sewn into the pockets of his pants, a discovery the department is referring to as ‘hot pockets.'”

Have you had cash seized at Boston Logan airport?

If you’ve had cash seized at Boston Logan airport, you can learn more from our trusted legal guide to a customs money seizure and can contact us for a free currency seizure consultation by clicking the contact buttons on this page.

CBP Seizes Guns & Money to Mexico

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on April 7, 2017

Guns, money, and and lawyers; the first two items are what this disjointed story from CBP is about, and the last is what the 3 people involved in this cash and firearm seizures by CBP will need. Customs seized $20,000 outbound to Mexico which resulted in an arrest, another $38,000 that probably (but not certainly resulted in an arrest), and a a cache of guns and ammo.

It reminds me of the song, “Lawyers, Guns & Money” (the Hank Williams, Jr. cover of the song is a bit more lively…. ). The total amount seized by U.S. Customs & Border Protection was $58,000 cash. Anyway, here’s the story from CBP:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers conducting outbound inspections at Arizona’s Port of Lukeville arrested two Mexican nationals Tuesday after finding unreported U.S. currency, weapons and ammunition in separate seizures.

Officers referred a 27-year-old Mexican man for a further search of his Dodge sedan Tuesday night and found more than $20,000 in unreported U.S. currency within the vehicle’s center console. This is the second unreported currency seizure this week.

On March 11, Lukeville officers prevented $38,000 from being smuggled into Mexico.

At about the same time, officers referred a 43-year-old Mexican woman for a secondary inspection of the Dodge truck she was driving. That search turned up multiple firearms and associated accessories to include several assault rifles, a handgun, multiple ammunition magazines, two weapon scopes and approximately 6,000 rounds of ammunition.

Stacks of bills totaling $163,130 in unreported currency seized by CBP officers at Hidalgo International Bridge

CBP Confiscates $163,130 Cash at Hidalgo Bridge

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on March 30, 2017

CBP officers recently seized a lot of cash — $163,130, to be exact — from a 34 year-old U.S. citizen from Yakima, Washington, who was attempting to leave the United States for Mexico in a taxi. In his baggage, CBP officers found 11 packages of cash. The money was not only not reported to customs, but it was also concealed. Here’s the full story:

On March 21, CBP officers at the Hidalgo International Bridge conducting outbound examinations encountered a 34-year-old man, a United States citizen from Yakima, Washington traveling in a taxi as he approached the exit lanes, heading towards Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico. After referring the taxi passenger for further inspection, officers discovered 11 packages concealed in his luggage containing a total of $163,130 in unreported currency.

“This was a great interception by our CBP officers,” said Port Director Severiano Solis, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry. “We would like to remind the traveling public that if they are transporting currency or monetary instruments in excess of $10,000 that they need to declare the currency to a CBP officer upon entry or exit from the U.S. Failure to declare currency or monetary instruments in excess of $10,000 may result in seizure and/or arrest.”

Individuals are permitted to carry any amount of currency or monetary instruments into or out of the U.S., however, if the quantity is more than $10,000, they will need to report it to CBP. “Money” means monetary instruments and includes U.S. or foreign coins currently in circulation, currency, travelers’ checks in any form, money orders, and negotiable instruments or investment securities in bearer form. Failure to declare may result in seizure of the currency and/or arrest.

Again, this is not just a failure to report/declare cash, but also bulk cash smuggling. In most cases, if you’re hiding money you’re up to no good. But even if you have good intentions, the very act of hiding the money is itself illegal.

Bulk cash hidden in the vehicle panels seized by U.S. Customs & Border Protection

CBP Seizes Money Going into Mexico

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on March 17, 2017

20 stacks of new U.S. currency seized by U.S. Customs & Border Protection for smuggling and failure to report cash to customs — CBP in Lukeville Arizona seized $38,000 of concealed currency heading into Mexico.

Here’s a quick story about a money seizure that happened when someone was going into Mexico earlier this week.CBP seized almost $40k in cash that was hidden in the interior panel of a van in Lukeville, Arizona. The driver was a 31 year old Mexican man. Here’s the brief story:

TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers conducting outbound inspections at Arizona’s Port of Lukeville arrested a 31-year-old Mexican man Saturday after finding $38,000 of unreported U.S. currency concealed in a quarter panel of his Ford van.

Officers seized the money and vehicle, and turned the driver over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

Every once in a while a seizure like this is not connected to the drug trade. I’ve represented people who’ve had cash seized crossing the border with Mexico who hid it in the vehicle just to keep it safe. In a case like this, even if the money came from a legitimate source and had a legitimate intended use the person involved is still responsible for a bulk cash smuggling violation. The consequences of that include forfeiture (permanent loss) of all the money, fines, and jail time. The best case scenario would be no criminal charges, and a return of most of the money.

Have you had money seized going into Mexico?

If you had money seized by U.S. Customs & Border Protection going into Mexico you can learn more about the process from our trusted customs money seizure legal guide and can contact us for a free currency seizure consultation by clicking the contact buttons on this page.