CBP officers at the Falcon Dam International Crossing in Roma, Texas seized more than $200,000 in a single enforcement action from three people traveling together in a vehicle heading into Mexico. All three were arrested. As is tradition in southern border press releases, the year and make of the vehicle are prominently featured — a 2018 Mercedes Benz, for the record. Here is the full CBP account:
The seizure occurred on Saturday, Oct. 10 at the Falcon Dam International Crossing when a CBP officer referred a 2018 Mercedes Benz driven by a 43-year-old female U.S. citizen for a secondary inspection. The woman was accompanied by a 32-year-old male citizen of Venezuela who resides in the United States and a 19-year-old female U.S. citizen. Upon inspection of the occupants’ belongings, a total of $223,988 in undeclared currency were discovered. The currency was seized by CBP. The three subjects were arrested, and the case was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations special agents for further investigation.
Three Arrests — What That Tells Us
As I have noted in other Texas border seizure cases: when everyone in the vehicle gets arrested and HSI takes over, this is not a civil forfeiture case with an innocent explanation at its core. The arrest of all three occupants — including the passenger from Venezuela and the 19-year-old — signals that law enforcement views everyone in the vehicle as a knowing participant in the currency transport, not bystanders who happened to be along for the ride.
In bulk cash courier operations, vehicles are typically staffed with multiple people for a reason. The driver handles the crossing. Additional passengers can serve as lookouts, can hold portions of the currency, or can simply make the vehicle appear to be a group on a social trip rather than a transport operation. CBP and HSI are experienced with these configurations at southern border crossings, and the arrest of all three rather than just the driver reflects that experience.
The presence of a Venezuelan national traveling with two U.S. citizens in a Mercedes Benz crossing at a relatively low-volume crossing like Falcon Dam — rather than the high-volume Laredo or Hidalgo bridges — is also notable. Lower-volume crossings are sometimes selected precisely because they have fewer lanes and less imaging equipment, making concealment easier. Whether that factored into this particular case is unknown from the public release, but it is the kind of detail HSI will be examining in its investigation.
The Falcon Dam Crossing — What Makes It Different
The Falcon Dam International Crossing is one of the smaller ports of entry along the Texas-Mexico border, located in Starr County near the Falcon International Reservoir. It handles far less traffic than the major Laredo or Hidalgo crossings but still sees regular outbound currency enforcement operations. Like all southern border land ports, the crossing is subject to CBP’s outbound inspection program, which uses vehicle selection, physical searches, and imaging technology to identify bulk cash being transported into Mexico.
The Starr County area — Roma, Rio Grande City — falls within the Rio Grande Valley sector, one of the most active enforcement areas on the southern border. The region has longstanding cartel presence on the Mexican side, and outbound bulk cash enforcement in this corridor is treated by CBP and HSI as directly connected to drug trafficking proceeds repatriation. A $223,988 seizure with three arrests at a relatively quiet crossing will be investigated aggressively.
The Amount — and What It Means for the Forfeiture
At $223,988, this seizure crosses two important legal thresholds that affect how the case proceeds. First, under CBP policy, any case valued at more than $100,000 is removed from port-level FP&F officials and decided by the Office of Regulations and Rulings at CBP headquarters in Washington, D.C. The local port office in Roma does not have authority to resolve a case of this size — it goes to headquarters, which adds time and requires a higher level of legal and factual development in any petition.
Second, at more than $500,000 — which this case does not reach — judicial forfeiture would be mandatory under 19 U.S.C. § 1610. This case falls below that threshold, so administrative forfeiture remains an option alongside the standard election of proceedings choices. But the combination of headquarters-level review, three arrests, and an active HSI criminal investigation means resolution will take considerably longer than a typical seizure case and will require substantially more developed legal arguments.
The civil penalty exposure is also significant. For a straightforward failure to report under 31 U.S.C. § 5316, the penalty would be substantial on an amount this size. If CBP pursues a bulk cash smuggling characterization under 31 U.S.C. § 5332 — which is nearly certain given the arrests and HSI involvement — the civil penalty can reach 50% of the seized amount, or roughly $112,000 on top of the forfeiture of the currency itself.
For People in Situations That Look Like This But Aren’t
Cases like this one are not representative of what most of our clients face. The vast majority of people who contact us after a Texas border seizure were carrying cash for entirely legitimate reasons — real estate transactions in Mexico, vehicle purchases, supporting family members — and simply did not complete the reporting process correctly. Those cases are civil forfeitures, no arrests, and a well-documented petition for remission or mitigation can result in substantial return of the funds.
If your situation is the former rather than the latter, the most important things you can do right now are to stop communicating with CBP without counsel and to move quickly — the election of proceedings deadline runs approximately 30 days from the Notice of Seizure and missing it forecloses most of your options.
Has Texas CBP Seized Your Cash?
If CBP seized your cash at Falcon Dam, Roma, or any other Texas port of entry, contact us before taking any other steps. Read our customs money seizure legal guide or watch the video series, and reach out for a free consultation using the contact options on this page.