Largest Cash Seizures in New York — JFK, Newark & Seaport

New York is one of the most active currency enforcement regions in the United States. The New York Field Office covers John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, and the Port of New York and Newark — together forming one of the highest-volume international trade and travel corridors in the world. JFK alone handles more international passengers than any other U.S. airport, and the combined enforcement activity of the New York Field Office makes this region a consistent top-five location for currency seizures nationally. This article documents some of the largest and most notable currency seizures in the New York area and explains what they reveal about CBP enforcement at these ports.

Why New York Is a Top Currency Enforcement Region

New York’s enforcement profile is shaped by scale and diversity. JFK handles direct international service to virtually every country in the world — more than 60 million international passengers per year across dozens of carriers operating routes to Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean. That volume creates a correspondingly large enforcement opportunity. Newark Liberty adds millions more international arrivals from Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America. The Port of New York and Newark is one of the busiest container ports on the East Coast, handling billions of dollars in commercial cargo annually.

The demographics of JFK’s international passenger base are particularly relevant to currency enforcement. New York City’s immigrant communities represent virtually every country in the world, and travelers arriving from or departing to countries with cash-based economies — Nigeria, Ghana, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, China, India, and many others — are statistically more likely to be carrying large amounts of currency than travelers on domestic routes. Many of those travelers are carrying entirely legitimate funds and simply did not know about or did not understand the FinCEN 105 reporting requirement. That gap between legitimate purpose and legal compliance is where the majority of New York currency seizures originate.

Notable Large Currency Seizures at JFK International Airport

$121,300 in Counterfeit Currency — Hidden Across Six Locations

One of the most notable JFK seizures in recent years involved not real currency but counterfeit U.S. $100 bills — $121,300 worth, distributed across six separate hiding spots in a traveler’s luggage. The currency was found in a diary box with a sliced-open inner cover, two wallets, a fabric box, and two cloth shoe racks. The traveler was returning from Lima, Peru — one of the primary sources of high-quality counterfeit U.S. currency in the Western Hemisphere. Secret Service agents confirmed the bills were counterfeit and took custody of both the currency and the individual. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York prosecuted the case. This is one of the cases that illustrates why JFK’s enforcement operations catch not just unreported legitimate currency but also counterfeit bills, drug proceeds, and fraud proceeds — the same examination infrastructure that catches failure-to-report violations also catches a much broader range of financial contraband.

$150,000 in Counterfeit Bills — Hidden in Bag Lining and False Bottom

A second counterfeit currency case at JFK involved Ciara Ryan, returning from Colombia with 1,500 counterfeit $100 Federal Reserve Notes — $150,000 in face value — concealed in the false bottom of a bag and in the lining of a leather satchel. The first bag emitted a strong odor of glue from the modification used to create the false bottom, which prompted the examination that led to the discovery. Ryan was arrested and prosecuted by the Eastern District of New York. Colombia is the other primary source of sophisticated counterfeit U.S. currency in the Western Hemisphere, and CBP officers at JFK are specifically trained to be alert to this enforcement concern on Colombia-originating flights.

Regular Six-Figure Seizures on West African Routes

JFK handles significant direct service to Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Ethiopia, and other West African destinations, and currency enforcement on those routes is a documented and consistent CBP enforcement priority. Travelers departing to West Africa with unreported currency — typically in amounts ranging from $15,000 to $100,000 — account for a significant share of JFK’s annual seizure volume. The enforcement pattern at JFK on West African outbound flights mirrors what we see at Dulles: travelers carrying funds for family support, business transactions, or real estate purchases who failed to file the required FinCEN 105. In most of those cases, the funds are entirely legitimate and recoverable through the petition for remission or mitigation process with proper legal representation.

$2 Million in Counterfeit Currency from Ecuador

CBP at JFK has documented seizures of counterfeit monetary instruments arriving from Ecuador — a country with documented counterfeit currency production networks. In one notable case, CBP seized counterfeit monetary instruments with a face value in the millions of dollars arriving in commercial shipments from South America. Cases of this scale are processed through Secret Service and the Eastern District of New York and represent the intersection of CBP’s customs enforcement mission and the Secret Service’s financial crimes jurisdiction.

Notable Large Currency Seizures at Newark Liberty International Airport

Consistent Enforcement on Caribbean and African Routes

Newark Liberty handles significant direct service from the Caribbean — particularly Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago — as well as direct flights from West Africa and Europe. CBP enforcement at Newark on Caribbean-originating arrivals is a consistent source of currency seizure cases. The New York/New Jersey metropolitan area has large Jamaican, Dominican, Trinidadian, and Nigerian communities, and travelers carrying cash for family support or business purposes on those routes are a documented enforcement demographic. Newark’s proximity to JFK means the two airports are treated as a single enforcement region by the New York Field Office, with enforcement resources and intelligence shared across both ports.

Notable Large Currency Seizures at the Port of New York and Newark

Container Cargo Currency Enforcement

The Port of New York and Newark is one of the busiest container ports on the East Coast and handles billions of dollars in commercial cargo annually. Currency concealed in container cargo — inside manufactured goods, machinery, household items, or commercial merchandise — is a documented enforcement concern at the seaport. CBP’s Commercial Targeting and Analysis Center works with New York Field Office officers to target high-risk outbound shipments, using manifest data and intelligence to identify containers warranting physical examination.

Seaport currency seizures tend to involve amounts significantly larger than typical airport cases. Currency concealed in a shipping container can involve hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars — the logistics of container cargo make it a more efficient vehicle for bulk cash movement than passenger baggage. These cases typically result in criminal referrals to HSI and are processed through CBP headquarters in Washington rather than the local FP&F office due to their scale. The Eastern District of New York handles prosecution of seaport bulk cash smuggling cases alongside its airport enforcement caseload.

Cruise Terminal Enforcement

The Manhattan and Brooklyn cruise terminals handle significant passenger volume on Caribbean and transatlantic itineraries. CBP maintains an enforcement presence at these terminals on both arrivals and departures, and currency enforcement is part of the standard examination process. Passengers departing on Caribbean cruises with unreported currency over $10,000 are subject to the same FinCEN 105 reporting requirement as airline passengers. The cruise terminal enforcement environment at New York is less publicized than airport enforcement but generates consistent seizure activity.

The Eastern District of New York — A Unique Prosecution Environment

One factor that distinguishes New York currency enforcement from many other ports is the prosecution environment. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York — which covers Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and Long Island and handles JFK cases — is one of the most experienced and active federal districts for financial crime prosecution in the country. EDNY has a well-developed infrastructure for handling currency reporting violations, bulk cash smuggling cases, money laundering, and counterfeit currency prosecutions. Criminal referrals from JFK currency seizures land with experienced prosecutors who have handled hundreds of similar cases.

The Southern District of New York — which covers Manhattan and handles cases from the seaport and some Newark matters — is similarly experienced in financial crime prosecution. Together, these two districts make the New York enforcement environment one of the more consequential in the country for anyone facing criminal exposure alongside a civil forfeiture.

Who Gets Caught at New York — The Legitimate Traveler Risk

As at Miami and Dulles, the enforcement statistics at JFK and Newark do not tell a story exclusively about drug traffickers and money launderers. A significant proportion of currency seizures at New York area airports involves entirely legitimate funds carried by travelers who did not know about or misunderstood the reporting requirement. New York’s extraordinary demographic diversity means that travelers from virtually every cash-economy country in the world pass through JFK and Newark regularly — and the gap between the cultural norm of carrying cash and the U.S. legal requirement to declare it produces a consistent stream of seizures involving legitimate funds.

Those cases are recoverable. A traveler with legitimate funds, no criminal history, and a plausible explanation for why they were carrying cash — documented with bank statements, business records, or other evidence of legitimate source — has a realistic path to recovering most or all of the seized funds through a well-prepared petition. The key is acting before the election of proceedings deadline passes and not making additional statements to CBP or HSI without counsel. Read our guide on why you must not contact CBP without an attorney after a seizure.

What to Do If CBP Seized Your Cash in New York

Whether your seizure occurred at JFK, Newark Liberty, or the Port of New York and Newark, the process for recovering seized currency follows the same framework at every U.S. port. A CAFRA Notice of Seizure will be issued within 60 days. The election of proceedings form must be responded to within 30 days of the notice date. The available options — petition for remission, CAFRA judicial claim, or offer in compromise — each carry different implications depending on the specific facts of your case.

Read our full customs money seizure legal guide or watch the video series. See our currency seizure case outcomes for examples of successful recovery. Call us at (734) 855-4999, send a text message, or reach us on WhatsApp. You can also contact us online for a free consultation. Great Lakes Customs Law represents clients with New York area currency seizures and handles cases at ports nationwide.