While most of our currency seizure clients are have their money taken from customs at an airport, we ocasionally represent people who have had their money seized at a border crossing, such as the Ambassador Bridge or the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. In this story from CBP, Customs seized over $300,000 from a middle aged Mexican couple who were returning to Mexico. In the vehicle, inside a microwave, they found the stash. This is a class case of bulk cash smuggling, and is no doubt the reason for the seizure. The story does not specifically mention if they were arrested or charged with a crime, but the government has 5 years to do so.
CBP officers conducted an intensive secondary examination of the vehicle and discovered packages hidden in a microwave oven in the vehicle that contained $309,220 in unreported currency.
The interception occurred on Sunday, Sept. 27 while CBP officers and Border Patrol agents conducting outbound (southbound) inspections at the Lincoln-Juarez Bridge referred a 2013 Chevy Aveo driven by a 42-year-old male Mexican citizen with a 51-year-old female Mexican citizen passenger for a secondary inspection. CBP officers conducted an intensive secondary examination of the vehicle and discovered packages hidden in a microwave oven in the vehicle that contained $309,220 in unreported currency.
CBP officers seized the currency and the Chevy Aveo. CBP officers turned over the driver and passenger to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents for further investigation.
Individuals are permitted to carry any amount of currency or monetary instruments into or out of the U.S., however, if the quantity is more than $10,000, they will need to report it to CBP. “Money” means monetary instruments and includes U.S. or foreign coins currently in circulation, currency, travelers’ checks in any form, money orders, and negotiable instruments or investment securities in bearer form. Failure to declare may result in seizure of the currency and/or arrest.
If you have had currency seized from Customs do not try to respond yourself but hire our firm, because we know what we are doing and have successfully handled many cases like yours. If you have questions, please give us a call at (734) 855-4999. We are able to assist with cash seized by customs around the country, including Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Orlando and many other places, and not just locally in Detroit. Please read these other articles:
CBP seized almost $75,000 in cash during 3 separate incidents at the port in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Twoof the incidents described below state that the money was “hidden” — first “within a suitcase” and “hidden in separate places on his belongings,” and the story says all currency was seized for “bulk cash smuggling“. As explained in that link, bulk cash smuggling essentially occurs when the money is hidden with the intent to evade the reporting requirement.
Money is often “hidden” because no one in the right mind would transport more than $10,000 out in the open, and so that is why the intent is so important. The salient portion of the story is quoted below (full story is here):
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized over $74,500 in unreported currency in three separate incidents last weekend.
In the first incident, after arrival at the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport from St. Thomas on October 2, a canine alerted to a passenger’s belongings. CBP officers interviewed him and his traveling companion. An inspection revealed over $15,000 of unreported currency, on their person and hidden within a suitcase. The currency was seized.
That same day, CBP officers were conducting outbound inspection on a flight destined to the Dominican Republic and interviewed three passengers after a canine alerted to their luggage. During inspection, $29,700 of unreported currency was discovered, which they later claimed someone paid them to transport to the Dominican Republic. The money was seized.
On another incident, a passenger arriving at the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport from Bogota, Colombia on October 4 was selected for CBP inspection. Currency reporting requirements were explained multiple times and the passenger gave conflicting amounts, finally claiming he was carrying $20,000. Currency verification revealed a total of $29,280 hidden in separate places on his belongings. The currency was seized.
The currency was seized under bulk cash smuggling laws. Failure to report may result in seizure of the currency and/or arrest.
“Transportation of currency is not illegal. However, if carrying more than $10,000 through our borders, the currency must be reported to CBP,” said Juan Hurtado, San Juan Area Port Director. “Travelers who refuse to comply with federal currency reporting requirements run the risk of having their currency seized, and may potentially face criminal charges.”
If you have had currency seized from Customs do not try to respond yourself but hire our firm, because we know what we are doing and have successfully handled many cases like yours. If you have questions, please give us a call at (734) 855-4999. We are able to assist with cash seized by customs around the country, including Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Orlando and many other places, and not just locally in Detroit. Please read these other articles:
U.S. Customs seized almost $230,000 from a U.S. citizen leaving the United States. This is a different scenario from the usual airport currency seizure case we handle. In this instance, it appears that the people transporting (smuggling). To get the seized money back from Customs this person would need to show that the cash came from a legitimate source, had a legitimate intended use, and file a petition, make an offer in compromise, or file a claim. You shouldn’t decide whether to file a petition, make an officer in compromise, or file a claim until you’ve consulted with an attorney who is experienced in customs money seizures.
The relevant portion of the story is quoted below (full story is here):
On Sept. 28, CBP officers assigned to the Hidalgo International Bridge, working outbound operations selected a blue 2006 Honda Pilot for inspection. The 26-year-old female United States citizen from Pharr, Texas and the vehicle were referred for further secondary examination and it was during the course of the inspection that officers discovered bundles of U.S. currency hidden within a duffle bag in the rear of the SUV. CBP OFO removed 24 bundles of unreported U.S. currency totaling $230,753, which was seized along with the vehicle.
Officers discovered bundles of U.S. currency hidden within a duffle bag in the rear of the SUV. CBP OFO removed 24 bundles of unreported U.S. currency totaling $230,753.
CBP OFO arrested the woman and then released her to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents for further investigation. “CBP Field Operations enforces both incoming and outbound laws and regulations, which includes the proper reporting of currency, be it from the United States or from any other country,” said Acting Port Director Javier Cantu, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry
It is not a crime to carry more than $10,000, but it is a federal offense not to declare currency or monetary instruments totaling $10,000 or more to a CBP officer upon entry or exit from the U.S. or to conceal it with intent to evade reporting requirements. Failure to declare may result in seizure of the currency and/or arrest. An individual may petition for the return of currency seized by CBP officers, but the petitioner must prove that the source and intended use of the currency was legitimate.
If you have had currency seized from Customs do not try to respond yourself but hire our firm, because we know what we are doing and have successfully handled many cases like yours. If you have questions, please give us a call at (734) 855-4999. We are able to assist with cash seized by customs around the country, including Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Orlando and many other places, and not just locally in Detroit. Please read these other articles:
CBP seized almost $30,000 in cash from a traveler at Baltimore Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport last week when he was leaving the United States to the United Kingdom. Many people are not aware the the currency reporting requirement for more than $10,000 applies to when you enter or LEAVE the country. He verbally reported $8,000, wrote down $5,000, then said the money belonged to others but nothing more than $8,000 in total was being transported.
What? If true, no wonder the officers became suspicious. When a story changes 3 times in less than a minute, there is good cause to believe someone is lying. If not true, well… that wouldn’t be the first I saw CBP relate their own version of events that differed vastly from what clients have described to me.
The salient portion of the story is quoted below (full story is here):
CBP officers found a total of $27,773 on his person and in his luggage.
The man, who was boarding a flight to the United Kingdom, was selected for questioning by CBP officers who were conducting an outbound international flight enforcement operation. The man initially reported possessing $8,000 but completed a financial reporting form stating $5,000. After signing the form he stated he was also carrying currency for others, but that all the currency totaled less than $8,000. CBP officers found a total of $27,773 on his person and in his luggage. CBP officers seized the $27,773 and advised him how to petition for the return of the currency.
If you have had currency seized from Customs do not try to respond yourself but hire our firm, because we know what we are doing and have successfully handled many cases like yours. If you have questions, please give us a call at (734) 855-4999. We are able to assist with cash seized by customs around the country, including Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Orlando and many other places, and not just locally in Detroit. Please read these other articles:
From local news sources, here is a story about a cash seizure by Customs valued at nearly $50,000:
Lopez-Gonzalez and another man, Emilio Gonzalez-Sosa, attempted to cross the international bridge in a maroon and gold 1994 Chevrolet C20 van, according to the criminal complaint and the news release. They denied having more than $10,000 cash — a standard question for people crossing the border.Officers referred the van to secondary inspection, where they discovered $48,995 hidden inside the engine’s intake manifold, according to the criminal complaint.
Head over to the Brownsville Herald and Valley Central to read the full stories.If you have had currency seized from Customs do not try to respond yourself but hire our firm, because we know what we are doing and have successfully handled many cases like yours. If you have questions, please give us a call at (734) 855-4999. We are able to assist with cash seized by customs around the country, including Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Orlando and many other places, and not just locally in Detroit. Please read these other articles:
In this customs cash seizure story, Customs seized $10,436 from an American living in Mexico while entering the United States. Although the story reveals little more than a failure to report, apparently the man is going to be prosecuted for bulk cash smuggling (which is the intentional concealing of the money with the intent to evade the reporting requirement).
DEL RIO, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Del Rio Port of Entry seized more than $10,000 in undeclared currency from a U.S. citizen living in Mexico early this week.
Customs currency seizure results in more than $10,000 in money seized.
Around 5 p.m. Sept. 21, CBP officers at Del Rio International Bridge, inspected a 2000 Volkswagen Jetta as it departed the United States bound for Mexico. During inspection, officers discovered a total of $10,436 in U.S. currency in the possession of a passenger in the vehicle.
The passenger, an 18-year-old male U.S. Citizen residing in Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico, was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for federal prosecution on a charge of 31 U.S. Code § 5332 – bulk cash smuggling into or out of the United States.
Officers discovered a total of $10,436 in U.S. currency in the possession of a passenger.
“Large amounts of currency may be imported and exported with the proper documentation,” said Port Director Alberto D. Perez, Del Rio Port of Entry. “Failure to report international transit of $10,000 or more could mean forfeiture of funds and criminal sanctions.”
If you have had currency seized from Customs do not try to respond yourself but hire our firm, because we know what we are doing and have successfully handled many cases like yours. If you have questions, please give us a call at (734) 855-4999. We are able to assist with cash seized by customs around the country, including Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Orlando and many other places, and not just locally in Detroit. Please read these other articles:
Customs at Dulles airport confiscated almost $20,000 from a traveler arriving there from Switzerland. According to the story, quoted below, the basis for the seizure was a failure to report. Instead of reporting $20,000, the man only reported $10,000. You might ask: Why report $10,000 and not $20,000? It’s a good question. I find that when there is not total ignorance, there is little understanding of the law that requires the report. This man may have chose not to read the lengthy explanation on the declaration form and instead, though he only needed to report more the amount of money in excess of $10,000 that he was transporting. Alas, ignorance of the law is no excuse. Here is the story itself:
During a secondary baggage inspection, CBP took $19,824 cash. The man had only reported $10,000.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized $19,824 in unreported currency from a male U.S. lawful permanent resident for violating federal currency reporting regulations at Washington Dulles International Airport Saturday.
The man arrived on a flight from the Switzerland and reported to a CBP officer that he possessed $10,000. During a secondary baggage inspection, CBP officers discovered U.S. dollars, Swiss francs and Euros that totaled the equivalent of $19,824 in U.S. dollars. CBP officers seized the currency and released the man.
CBP officers provide travelers with multiple opportunities to truthfully report all of their currency. Travelers who refuse to comply with federal currency reporting requirements risk having their currency seized, and potentially face criminal charges.
“Seizing a traveler’s currency is not a pleasant experience, but there are severe consequences for violating U.S. laws,” said Wayne Biondi, CBP Port Director for the Port of Washington Dulles. “We hope that this seizure is a lesson for all travelers that the easiest way to hold on to their currency is to honestly report it all to a Customs and Border Protection officer.”
If you have had currency seized from Customs do not try to respond yourself but hire our firm, because we know what we are doing and have successfully handled many cases like yours. If you have questions, please give us a call at (734) 855-4999. We are able to assist with cash seized by customs around the country, including Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Orlando and many other places, and not just locally in Detroit. Please read these other articles:
This past Sunday, U.S. Customs & Border Protection officers at the Philadelphia airport seized over $50,000 in unreported currency, which was also “concealed within clothing” from a Nigerian traveler. The alleged fact that the money was “concealed” within clothing may also make the currency subject to seizure for bulk cash smuggling in addition to the failure to report it. The story is partially quoted below (full version here):
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized $51,851 in unreported currency, much of it concealed within clothing, from a Nigerian woman at Philadelphia International Airport Sunday.
Customs seized cash at airport totaling $51,851, concealed in Nigerian traveler’s clothing.
The woman arrived on a flight from the United Kingdom and reported to a CBP officer that she possessed $9,800. During a secondary baggage inspection, CBP officers discovered U.S. dollars, British pounds and Nigerian nairas that equaled the equivalent of $51,851 in U.S. dollars. CBP officers seized the currency and released the woman to continue her visit to the U.S.
CBP officers provide travelers with multiple opportunities to truthfully report all of their currency. Travelers who refuse to comply with federal currency reporting requirements risk having their currency seized, and potentially face criminal charges.
“There are severe consequences for violating U.S. laws,” said Susan Stranieri, CBP Port Director for the Area Port of Philadelphia. “We hope that this seizure is a lesson for all travelers that the easiest way to hold on to their currency is to honestly report it all to a Customs and Border Protection officer.”
If you have had currency seized from Customs do not try to respond yourself but hire our firm, because we know what we are doing and have successfully handled many cases like yours. If you have questions, please give us a call at (734) 855-4999. We are able to assist with cash seized by customs around the country, including Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Orlando and many other places, and not just locally in Detroit. Please read these other articles:
Over Labor Day weekend, Dulles CBP seized $50,510 from a family that arrived to the United States from China. The full story is HERE, but the excerpt is below:
Federal law requires travelers to complete financial reporting forms for any amount that exceeds $10,000.
CBP seized $50,510 in unreported U.S. dollars and Chinese yuan from a family that arrived Saturday from China after the family reported possessing $3,000.
CBP seizes $650,117 in undeclared or illicit currency every day. There is no limit to how much currency travelers may bring to, or take from the U.S. However, federal law requires travelers to complete financial reporting forms for any amount that exceeds $10,000 in U.S. dollars or equivalent foreign currency.
If you have had currency seized from Customs do not try to respond yourself but hire our firm, because we know what we are doing and have successfully handled many cases like yours. If you have questions, please give us a call at (734) 855-4999. We are able to assist with cash seized by customs around the country, including Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Orlando and many other places, and not just locally in Detroit. Please read these other articles:
Customs seized fake handbags, for which the value would be nearly $5 million dollars if they were genuine. After the handbags are seized and determined to be counterfeit, CBP can assess a penalty against the importer of counterfeit goods, even if they believed them to be genuine. The penalty is based off the manufacturer’s suggest retail price of the counterfeit merchandise, as if it had been genuine. Therefore, there’s a very strong reason to believe that the person who imported these bags is going to be facing at least a $5 million dollar penalty. Here is an excerpt from the full story:
A customs seizure of counterfeit handbags valued at nearly $5 million dollars.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Miami seaport seized 10,788 high-fashion counterfeit Gucci and Coach handbags arriving in a shipment from China on July 15. Had the goods been genuine, the designer handbags would have an estimated Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $4,904,160.
CBP officers initially suspected the handbags to be counterfeit since they did not appear to be of the quality consistent with the products normally authorized and manufactured by the trademark holders. CBP import specialists examined samples and confirmed the items to be counterfeit.
You might be facing penalties from customs for importing counterfeit merchandise. We can help. Typically, we recommended preparing and filing a petition, with the assistance of legal counsel, which argues persuasively for the substantial mitigation, or when the facts and law warrant it, cancellation of the penalty in full.
Great Lakes Customs Law has been very successful in getting these kinds of penalties reduced and, sometimes, even eliminated entirely (some history of our success is HERE). If you have had merchandise seized by customs because they allege it is counterfeit and contains trademark violations and/or have a received a notice of penalty for importing alleged counterfeits or for making an importation contrary to law, call our office at (734) 855-4999 to speak to a customs lawyer, or e-mail us through our contact page. We are able to assist petitions for customs penalties and seizures around the country, including Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Orlando and many other places. Please read these other articles:
![Currency%20seizure3[1]](https://i0.wp.com/greatlakescustomslaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/cbp-currency-airport-seizure-300x294.jpg?resize=300%2C294)
currency, on their person and hidden within a suitcase. The currency was seized.
