Any customs lawyer will tell you that getting caught failing to report real currency is a far better situation than getting caught importing counterfeit money. But there is an important connection between these two categories of cases that is worth understanding: this counterfeit currency seizure was made possible because of the currency reporting requirement. When CBP officers selected Ciara Ryan for a random baggage examination, they were conducting the same kind of secondary examination that catches travelers with undeclared real currency every day. The reporting requirement gives CBP the legal framework and the operational justification to examine arriving passengers’ bags — and in doing so, it catches not just unreported legitimate cash but also contraband like counterfeit bills. The law served its intended purpose here. The full CBP release is available here.
What Happened at JFK
On December 14, CBP officers at John F. Kennedy International Airport selected Ciara Ryan, 38, returning from Colombia, for a random baggage examination. She had two bags. The first immediately drew attention — it had a strong odor of glue emanating from it, which prompted a closer look at its construction. Officers discovered alterations to the bag’s bottom, and inside the altered space were counterfeit U.S. $100 bills. The second bag — a black leather satchel — was found to contain additional counterfeit bills concealed within its lining. In total, 1,500 counterfeit $100 Federal Reserve Notes were seized — $150,000 in face value. Ryan was placed under arrest and will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York.
The Glue Smell — How the Discovery Started
The detail that stands out in this case is the glue odor. The bag’s bottom had been altered — modified after manufacture to create a concealed compartment — and the adhesive used in that modification had not fully cured or was simply detectable by an experienced officer conducting a close examination. This is exactly the kind of secondary indicator that CBP officers are trained to notice: something that looks right at first glance but does not smell, feel, or sound right under closer scrutiny.
The glue smell turned what might have been a routine bag check into a structural examination of the bag itself — at which point the altered bottom and its contents became apparent. The lesson for anyone considering concealment of any kind at a port of entry: CBP officers examine thousands of bags and have become very good at noticing when something is not right, even when the visual presentation appears normal. Modifications to luggage — hidden compartments, false bottoms, altered linings — have telltale signs that experienced examiners recognize.
Two Bags, Two Concealment Methods — Why Knowledge Is Clear
The distribution of counterfeit bills across two separate bags using two different concealment methods — a false-bottomed bag modified with adhesive and a satchel with bills sewn into the lining — establishes knowing possession with a clarity that eliminates any innocent-possession defense. You do not accidentally hide $150,000 in counterfeit bills in the modified bottom of one bag and the lining of another. Each concealment method required deliberate preparation before travel: acquiring the bags, modifying them, distributing the bills, and packing them in a way designed to pass a standard examination. The dual-bag distribution also suggests the same strategic thinking we see in other concealment cases — spreading the contraband across multiple locations so that a partial discovery does not reveal the full amount.
Colombia as the Origin — Context That Matters
Ryan was returning from Colombia. Colombia has historically been one of the primary sources of counterfeit U.S. currency — sophisticated operations producing high-quality fake $100 bills, sometimes called “supernotes,” have been documented in Colombia for decades. CBP officers at JFK, which handles significant direct traffic from Bogotá and other Colombian cities, are specifically trained to be alert to this enforcement concern on Colombia-originating flights. A traveler arriving from Colombia with bags that smell of glue and have altered construction is going to receive thorough attention regardless of anything else about the circumstances.
What Counterfeiting Charges Actually Mean
Importing and concealing counterfeit U.S. currency is a federal offense under 18 U.S.C. § 472, carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. This is not a civil forfeiture matter. There is no petition process, no election of proceedings form, no administrative path to recovering the seized bills — they are contraband and will be destroyed. The Secret Service has jurisdiction over the investigation, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office handles the prosecution. The Eastern District of New York — which prosecutes cases arising from JFK and the surrounding area — is one of the most experienced and active federal districts for financial crime prosecutions in the country.
Compare this to the cases we typically handle: a traveler who fails to file a FinCEN 105 for real currency faces a civil seizure, a potential civil penalty, and an administrative process that — with proper legal representation — frequently results in return of most or all of the funds. Even the most serious currency reporting violations — bulk cash smuggling under 31 U.S.C. § 5332 — carry a five-year criminal maximum and are prosecuted criminally in a minority of cases. Counterfeiting carries four times that maximum and is always a criminal prosecution. The difference in exposure is not marginal — it is categorical.
The Currency Reporting Requirement as an Enforcement Tool
It is worth returning to the point made at the top of this post. The currency reporting requirement under 31 U.S.C. § 5316 is often discussed in the context of travelers who bring too much legitimate cash across the border without filing the required form. But the reporting requirement serves a broader function — it provides the legal basis for CBP to examine arriving passengers’ currency and monetary instruments, which in turn creates the examination opportunities that catch not just undeclared real cash but also counterfeit currency, financial fraud proceeds, and other monetary contraband. Ryan was selected for a random baggage examination that was rooted in CBP’s currency enforcement mission. That examination caught $150,000 in counterfeit bills before they entered the U.S. economy and potentially defrauded dozens of unsuspecting businesses and individuals.
If CBP Has Seized Your Real Currency
If your situation involves real currency seized for a failure to report or bulk cash smuggling violation — not counterfeit currency — you have legal options and a realistic path to recovering your money. Read our customs money seizure legal guide or watch the video series. Read our guide on why you must not contact CBP without an attorney after a seizure. See our currency seizure case outcomes. Call us at (734) 855-4999, send a text message, or reach us on WhatsApp. You can also contact us online.