CBP officers and Border Patrol agents at the Bridge of the Americas crossing in El Paso seized $146,070 in currency from a woman driving southbound into Mexico — currency hidden in a shopping bag inside her vehicle, wrapped in three cellophane bundles. She was arrested on the spot and booked into the El Paso County jail without bond. The full CBP release is available here. Here is what happened:
CBP officers and Border Patrol agents were conducting a southbound inspection operation at the BOTA crossing when a 2011 Dodge Durango attempted to leave the U.S. at approximately 11:15 p.m. CBP personnel selected the vehicle for an intensive examination after a preliminary interview with the driver. CBP currency detector canine “Nouska” searched the vehicle and alerted to a bag inside the vehicle. CBP officers and Border Patrol agents found three cellophane wrapped bundles inside the bag. The bundles were opened revealing the U.S. currency. CBP officers took custody of the driver, 40-year-old Jennifer Guadalupe Hernandez, a U.S. citizen residing in El Paso. She was arrested by HSI special agents in connection with the failed smuggling attempt and booked into the El Paso County jail where she is being held without bond.
Cellophane Bundles in a Shopping Bag — Why This Is Bulk Cash Smuggling
The concealment method here — three cellophane-wrapped bundles of currency inside a shopping bag — is less elaborate than door panel modifications or false-floor compartments, but it is still concealment under 31 U.S.C. § 5332. Currency does not wrap itself in cellophane and place itself in a shopping bag. The wrapping is deliberate preparation to organize and conceal the bills — and cellophane wrapping in particular is associated with bulk cash packaging in drug trafficking operations, which is relevant context that CBP and HSI will bring to the investigation.
The K-9 alert is what initiated the physical search. CBP currency detector dog “Nouska” alerted to the bag — consistent with the dog detecting either currency scent or drug residue on the bills, both of which are common in bulk cash cases at southern Texas land ports. The alert gave officers documented probable cause for the physical search before the bag was opened. Once the three cellophane bundles were found and opened, the seizure and arrest followed.
Held Without Bond — What That Signals
The driver was booked into the El Paso County jail and held without bond. A no-bond detention order at the initial appearance signals that the magistrate found either a flight risk or a danger to the community — or both — sufficient to deny pretrial release. In bulk cash smuggling cases at the El Paso port, denial of bond is not unusual when the defendant is a U.S. citizen with suspected cartel connections or when the government argues that the defendant’s ties to Mexico and access to criminal organization resources make flight a genuine risk.
Port Director Hector Mancha’s statement makes the government’s theory of the case explicit: “The unreported cash that we seize has an impact on the criminal organizations by making it more difficult for them to further their illicit activities.” CBP is not treating this as an innocent failure to file a form — they are treating it as an interdiction of drug trafficking proceeds. That characterization will shape every aspect of both the criminal prosecution and the civil forfeiture that runs in parallel.
The Civil Forfeiture Options — Even After Arrest
An arrest and criminal arraignment do not eliminate the legal options in the civil forfeiture proceeding. The two tracks are legally separate, and the right to contest the forfeiture exists independently of what happens in the criminal case. The available options include:
- Administrative petition for remission or mitigation — An internal CBP review requesting full or partial return of the funds based on legitimate source and intended use. Given the arrest, the no-bond detention, and the cellophane-wrapped bundles, this is an uphill argument — but it remains legally available and is worth evaluating with counsel.
- CAFRA seized asset claim — A formal challenge that forces the government to file a civil forfeiture complaint in federal court within 90 days, shifting the burden of proof to the government. In cases where a criminal prosecution is underway, the civil and criminal proceedings interact in ways that require careful coordination. Statements made in the civil proceeding can be used in the criminal case, and timing of the civil challenge relative to the criminal case requires strategic judgment.
- Offer in compromise — A negotiated partial return of the funds in settlement of the forfeiture claim. Occasionally appropriate where full recovery is not achievable but some return is possible under the specific facts.
The election of proceedings deadline runs approximately 30 days from the date on the CAFRA Notice of Seizure — not from receipt, and not from the resolution of the criminal case. Anyone with a legal interest in seized currency needs to respond within that window or lose the civil options permanently. Read our guide on why you must not contact CBP or HSI without an attorney after a seizure involving an arrest.
What This Case Means for Innocent Travelers at El Paso
This case — arrest, no bond, HSI involvement, cellophane-wrapped bundles — is at the serious end of the enforcement spectrum. Most of the currency seizure cases we handle are very different: travelers with legitimate cash who failed to file a FinCEN 105, or who misunderstood the reporting requirement, and who face a civil forfeiture without criminal exposure. Those cases have a realistic path to recovery through the petition process with proper legal representation.
The enforcement infrastructure at the Bridge of the Americas — K-9 units, outbound inspection operations, coordinated CBP and Border Patrol teams — applies to everyone crossing southbound, not just to suspected drug couriers. A traveler with legitimate cash who has not filed the required report faces the same initial screening as someone transporting drug proceeds. The difference in outcome depends entirely on what the money was, what the traveler can prove, and how quickly they engage counsel after the seizure. See our currency seizure case outcomes for examples of successful recovery in legitimate cases.
Has CBP Seized Your Currency at El Paso or Another Texas Crossing?
If CBP has seized your cash at the Bridge of the Americas, Ysleta, or any other El Paso or Texas port of entry, contact us immediately. Read our customs money seizure legal guide or watch the video series. Call us at (734) 855-4999, send a text message, or reach us on WhatsApp. You can also contact us online.