Here’s What to Do.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is the busiest airport in the world by passenger volume — and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) maintains one of the most active currency enforcement presences in the country there. Between 2000 and 2016 alone, CBP seized more than $108 million in cash from travelers at Atlanta’s airport. If your money was taken at Hartsfield-Jackson, you are dealing with a serious federal matter that requires prompt, experienced legal representation.

Do not call the CBP Fines, Penalties and Forfeitures office to explain yourself. Do not write a letter without a lawyer. Do not assume the process is straightforward or that the facts will speak for themselves. Atlanta is one of the most enforcement-active airports in the country, and recovering seized cash here requires a carefully built case presented in the right way at the right time.

Great Lakes Customs Law has represented clients with currency seizures at Atlanta and at airports and ports of entry nationwide. Read on to understand what happened, what you are facing, and how we can help you get your money back.

Why Atlanta Is a High-Volume Seizure Airport

Atlanta’s status as one of the world’s premier international hub airports makes it a natural focal point for CBP currency enforcement. Dozens of international routes pass through Hartsfield-Jackson daily, and CBP officers are stationed throughout the international arrivals and departures areas.

What makes Atlanta particularly notable is that seizures there are not limited to CBP alone. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) operates an airport interdiction task force at Hartsfield-Jackson, and the Clayton County Police Department — which has jurisdiction over all airport terminals and concourses — runs its own interdiction program. All three agencies can and do seize currency at the airport, and each operates under somewhat different legal authority and procedural rules.

This multi-agency environment means that if your cash was seized at Atlanta, it may have been taken by CBP, by federal DEA agents, or by local law enforcement — and the process for contesting the seizure differs depending on which agency took the money. An attorney experienced in currency seizure cases can identify exactly which process applies to your situation.

Why CBP Seizes Cash at Atlanta

The most common reason CBP seizes currency at Hartsfield-Jackson is failure to comply with federal reporting requirements. Under 31 U.S.C. § 5316, any person traveling internationally with more than $10,000 in cash — or the equivalent in foreign currency or monetary instruments — must file a FinCEN 105 form with CBP at the time of arrival or departure. There is no tax on the money. There is no limit on how much you can carry. But failing to file the form, or filing it inaccurately, gives CBP legal authority to seize the funds.

The most common violations that lead to CBP seizures at Atlanta include:

• Failure to report — You were carrying more than $10,000 and did not file a FinCEN 105, or you declared an amount less than you were actually carrying.
• Bulk cash smuggling — The money was concealed in luggage, clothing, or on your person in a manner suggesting intent to evade the reporting requirement. Concealment does not require elaborate hiding — even placing cash in a checked bag without declaring it can qualify under 31 U.S.C. § 5332.
• Structuring — Dividing currency among family members or traveling companions to keep each individual’s amount under $10,000 is a federal violation. CBP treats a traveling family or group as a single unit for reporting purposes.
• Suspected connection to unlawful activity — At Atlanta, seizures based on alleged connection to narcotics trafficking or money laundering are not uncommon, particularly from DEA and local interdiction task forces. Drug-sniffing dogs, travel patterns, and behavioral profiling are all used to justify these seizures, and drugs are frequently not found.

What Happens After a Hartsfield-Jackson Cash Seizure

At the time of seizure, CBP will issue a Custody Receipt for Seized Property. Keep this document — it contains the case information you will need. Within 60 days, you should receive a Notice of Seizure and Information to Claimants from CBP’s Fines, Penalties and Forfeitures (FP&F) office. This notice includes your FP&F case number and the Election of Proceedings form that sets your path forward.

The Election of Proceedings form requires you to choose one of three options for contesting the seizure:

• Administrative Petition for Remission or Mitigation — You ask CBP to return all or part of the money through an internal administrative review. This keeps the matter out of court, but CBP is reviewing its own officers’ decision, which creates an inherent limitation on how far this process can go.
• CAFRA Seized Asset Claim — You formally contest the seizure and demand that the government pursue forfeiture through the federal courts. This shifts the burden to the government to prove the money is subject to forfeiture and gives you access to judicial review.
• Offer in Compromise — You propose a settlement, offering to pay a portion of the seized amount in exchange for return of the remainder.

Choosing the right option requires understanding your specific facts — the amount involved, the violation alleged, the strength of your documentation, and your goals. There is no universally correct answer. Choosing wrong can mean permanently losing money you could have recovered.

Read our detailed guide to the Election of Proceedings form, or see our analysis of which option is best for your situation.

Act Quickly — Deadlines Are Unforgiving

Once CBP issues your Notice of Seizure, you generally have 30 days to respond with an Election of Proceedings. If that deadline passes without a valid filing, CBP can proceed with administrative forfeiture — and the money is gone without any court ever reviewing the seizure.

Beyond the filing deadline, evidence gathering takes time. Bank records, tax returns, business documentation, and witness statements do not appear overnight. The earlier you engage an attorney, the better-prepared your case will be when it matters.

In the meantime, do not contact CBP to explain your situation. Do not call the FP&F office. Do not respond to any CBP outreach without legal counsel. Every statement you make becomes part of the record, and CBP officers are experienced at gathering information that supports forfeiture, not your recovery.

Read our guide on why you should remain silent after a seizure.

What Evidence Will You Need to Get Your Money Back?

Regardless of which proceeding you elect, recovering seized cash from CBP requires demonstrating two things: that the money came from a legitimate source, and that it was intended for a lawful purpose. This is not a presumption of innocence situation — the burden falls on you to affirmatively prove the money’s legitimacy.

Supporting documentation typically includes:

• Bank records and withdrawal history consistent with the amount seized
• Tax returns or other income documentation
• Business records, invoices, contracts, or purchase agreements explaining the intended use
• Statements from family members, employers, business partners, or other witnesses
• Currency exchange records if foreign currency was involved
• Documentation specific to your circumstances — real estate transactions, inheritance, sale of a vehicle, business cash transactions, and so on

The organization and presentation of this evidence matters enormously. A petition that tells a coherent, credible story with supporting documentation is very different from a bare statement of facts or an apology letter. CBP FP&F officers review many petitions. A weak submission is easy to deny.

Read our full guide to evidence and documentation for currency seizure cases.

Atlanta’s CBP Field Office

Currency seizures at Hartsfield-Jackson are processed through the CBP Atlanta Area Port and its associated Fines, Penalties and Forfeitures office. Atlanta’s port code is 0472, which will appear on your custody receipt and seizure notice. The FP&F office handles administrative petitions and forfeiture proceedings for seizures made at ATL and other ports within the Atlanta area.

Great Lakes Customs Law works with FP&F offices at ports across the country — including Atlanta — and understands how these offices evaluate submissions. The way a petition is framed, the evidence it includes, and the legal arguments made on your behalf all influence the outcome. This is not a process where any competent attorney will do — you need a customs attorney who works CBP seizure cases regularly.

Why You Should Not Handle This Yourself

The most common mistake people make after a currency seizure is believing they can resolve it by explaining themselves to CBP. The second most common mistake is hiring a general practice attorney who has never dealt with CBP’s FP&F process. Both paths routinely lead to the same outcome: denial, or a settlement far below what a well-represented case would have recovered.

The most frequent self-representation errors we see include:

• Filing an apology letter instead of a substantive legal petition
• Selecting the wrong election of proceedings option for their facts
• Submitting insufficient documentation of the money’s source and purpose
• Calling the FP&F office and making statements that damage the case
• Missing the filing deadline entirely
• Writing a petition that reads as an admission of the violation rather than a legal argument for remission

CBP is not a neutral party in this process. The FP&F office is enforcing forfeiture law, and forfeited funds flow to federal agency budgets. There is a real institutional incentive to deny or minimize returns. A skilled customs attorney understands how to frame your case in a way that gives you the strongest possible position.

Our Results at Atlanta and Nationwide

Great Lakes Customs Law has successfully represented clients with currency seizures at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta and at ports of entry across the country. Jason Wapiennik has handled more than 700 currency seizure cases and has recovered more than $11 million in seized funds for clients nationwide.

If your money was seized at Atlanta, you do not need a Georgia-based attorney. You need the right customs attorney — one who knows how CBP FP&F operates, handles these cases routinely, and has a track record of results. We represent clients at every major U.S. port of entry regardless of where they or we are located.

See our currency seizure case results.

Get a Free Consultation Today

If CBP or another agency seized your cash at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta — or anywhere else — contact us now for a free currency seizure consultation. The sooner we review your case, the more options are available to fight for a full recovery.

Read our full CBP Money Seizure Lawyer’s Guide or reach out directly using the contact options on this page.