Detroit CBP had a busy November 2024, reporting large currency seizures at Detroit Metro Airport, the Ambassador Bridge, and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. Four incidents made it onto DFO Marty C. Raybon’s public feed — and the numbers are striking. All of it was avoidable. Every one of these seizures could have been prevented by filing a FinCEN 105 form before crossing.
The Two Myths That Keep Getting People Seized
Before getting into the November cases, it is worth addressing the two misconceptions I hear most often from people calling after a seizure — because they explain why so many travelers find themselves in this situation.
The first is the belief that you cannot travel with more than $10,000. I hear some version of this on nearly every initial call: “I know you can’t take more than $10,000, so…” That is wrong. There is no legal limit on how much cash you can carry across a U.S. border. You can carry $10,000, $100,000, or $1,000,000 if you want. The law — 31 U.S.C. § 5316 — simply requires that you report any amount over $10,000 to CBP by filing a FinCEN 105 form at the time of crossing. Report it accurately, hand in the form, and you can keep walking.
The second misconception, which I hear less often but is just as consequential, is the belief that declaring the money means paying taxes on it. “I reported less than $10,000 because I didn’t want to have to pay taxes on it.” Also wrong. CBP does not collect a tax on currency you bring into or take out of the country. The cash reporting requirement and income tax law are two entirely separate things. Filing a FinCEN 105 does not trigger a tax bill. It is purely a disclosure requirement — one that exists to help the government track the movement of large sums of money across borders, not to generate revenue from travelers.
These two myths, taken together, explain a significant share of the currency seizures at Detroit every month. Travelers who believe they are not allowed to carry the money hide it. Travelers who believe reporting triggers a tax avoid reporting it. In both cases, the result is the same: CBP finds the cash, it gets seized, and a lengthy and expensive forfeiture process begins.
November 2024: Four Seizures, Four Stories
Here are the four incidents DFO Raybon publicized from November 2024:
October 27: $17,000+ — “Intentional Misreport”
#DetroitMetroAirport @CBP officers #seized over $17K in intentionally misreported #currency, Oct. 27. 💰✈️ REMEMBER – There is no limit to the amount of cash you may travel with, but anything over $10,000 must be accurately reported when coming into or leaving the U.S. pic.twitter.com/Vrk7b4B8QL
— DFO Marty C. Raybon (@DFODetroit) November 1, 2024
The DFO’s label here — “intentionally misreported” — is significant. This is not a case of a traveler who forgot or miscounted. CBP determined this was a deliberate underreporting, which is treated more seriously than an innocent mistake in the petition process. When CBP characterizes a violation as intentional, the path to getting your money back becomes harder and the amount of mitigation available is reduced. The difference between “I made an error” and “I intended to evade” matters enormously in the FP&F review.
November 3: $27,000 — U.S. Citizen Declares $9,600
#DetroitMetroAirport @CBP officers seized $27k from an inbound U.S. citizen, Nov. 3. The traveler initially declared $9,600 in an attempt to evade reporting requirements. Learn more 👉 https://t.co/NjfSFgK1BP pic.twitter.com/IFRzNkIPUg
— DFO Marty C. Raybon (@DFODetroit) November 12, 2024
This case illustrates a classic and particularly costly error: the $9,600 declaration. The traveler reported just below the $10,000 threshold — almost certainly believing that keeping the declared amount under $10,000 meant they had no obligation to file. But the reporting requirement triggers at $10,000, not above it. If you are carrying $27,000 and you declare $9,600, CBP treats that as a deliberate attempt to evade the reporting requirement — not a rounding error. The entire $27,000 is subject to seizure, not just the unreported difference. And because the declared amount was suspiciously close to the threshold, it signals to CBP that the traveler knew exactly what they were doing. This case also involves a U.S. citizen returning home, which is a reminder that this is not something that only happens to foreign travelers.
November 5: $99,000 — Single Day, Multiple Seizures
#DetroitMetroAirport @CBP officers seized $99k of intentionally misreported currency in a single day, Nov. 5. Keep your cash – accurately report it! Check out https://t.co/PW4dvqRT2f to learn more about #currency reporting requirements. pic.twitter.com/xznUBdgcxi
— DFO Marty C. Raybon (@DFODetroit) November 15, 2024
Nearly $100,000 seized in a single day at a single airport. This was not one large seizure — DFO Raybon’s tweet references multiple incidents adding up to $99,000, all on November 5. That is an extraordinary single-day total, and it reflects the volume of international traffic through Detroit Metro. DTW handles direct flights to the Middle East, Europe, West Africa, and Asia, and the Detroit Field Office has consistently been among the most active in the country for currency enforcement. Days like this one are part of why the annual totals at Detroit have historically reached into the millions — $7.8 million in FY2019 and $5.6 million in FY2021.
November 22: Nearly $20,000 — Canadian Citizen Admits to Intentional Misreport
Nearly $20K was seized from an inbound Canadian citizen, Nov. 22. The traveler admitted to intentionally misreporting the amount in an attempt to avoid completing the #currency declaration form. Learn more about reporting requirements 👉 https://t.co/PW4dvqRT2f pic.twitter.com/LlJLWQ0P5O
— DFO Marty C. Raybon (@DFODetroit) December 3, 2024
Two things stand out here. First, the traveler admitted to intentionally misreporting — a statement that will follow this case through the entire FP&F process. What you say to CBP officers at the time of seizure matters enormously. Admissions of intent to evade are the hardest facts to overcome in a petition. Second, this involves a Canadian citizen entering the United States. Canadian travelers crossing at Detroit-area ports are subject to the same U.S. federal currency reporting requirements as everyone else. The $10,000 threshold applies to U.S. and foreign currency combined, including Canadian dollars converted to their U.S. dollar equivalent. Citizenship and country of residence are irrelevant to the reporting obligation — once you cross into U.S. territory, U.S. law applies.
What All Four Cases Have in Common
Every one of these seizures was characterized by DFO Raybon as involving an intentional misreport — not an innocent mistake. That word choice matters. CBP’s Fines, Penalties and Forfeitures office applies different mitigation guidelines depending on whether a violation is classified as negligent, grossly negligent, or intentional. Intentional violations receive the least favorable treatment in the petition process, and the government’s burden of proof in a civil forfeiture proceeding is lower when there is evidence of deliberate concealment or evasion.
If your situation is different — if you genuinely misunderstood the reporting requirement, made an arithmetic error, or were unaware the form existed — those facts can and should be part of your petition. The petition process is where the circumstances of your specific case get evaluated, and the difference between a good-faith mistake and a deliberate evasion can significantly affect how much of your money you get back.
Has Detroit CBP Seized Your Cash?
If Detroit CBP seized your cash at the airport, the Ambassador Bridge, the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, or the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron, you need a customs lawyer. Read our customs money seizure legal guide or watch the video series, and contact us for a free consultation using the buttons on this page.