In October 2024 — the first month of CBP’s new fiscal year — Detroit customs officers seized $42,000 from two separate sets of travelers at Detroit Metro Airport, as announced by Detroit Field Office Director Marty C. Raybon:
#DetroitMetroAiport @CBP officers seized $42K of misreported currency in a pair of inspections at @DTWeetin, Oct. 7. Keep your 💰 by accurately reporting it when coming into or leaving the U.S. Visit https://t.co/PW4dvqRT2f to learn more about #currency reporting requirements. pic.twitter.com/H1WlFU3sHV
— DFO Marty C. Raybon (@DFODetroit) October 10, 2024
But is $42,000 all CBP seized in Detroit that month? Not even close.
The Full October Picture: Nearly Half a Million Dollars
The DFO tweet covers two incidents on a single day. CBP publishes month-by-month currency seizure data through its public data portal, and the full October 2024 numbers tell a much bigger story. Across the entire month, Detroit CBP recorded 25 seizure events totaling nearly $459,000 — an average of roughly $18,360 per incident.
The portal’s inbound/outbound filter suggests these numbers represent seizures from international travelers for currency reporting violations — not forfeitures conducted on behalf of other federal or state agencies, which CBP sometimes administers separately. If that reading is correct, Detroit CBP was averaging a new currency seizure case roughly every 1.2 days throughout October, with travelers losing nearly half a million dollars in a single month at a single port.
How Does October 2024 Fit the Bigger Picture?
Detroit has consistently been one of the most active ports in the country for currency enforcement. The Detroit Field Office covers Detroit Metro Airport, the Ambassador Bridge, the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, and the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron. Annual totals have varied significantly depending on travel volume:
- FY2019: $7.8 million seized
- FY2020: $4.6 million seized — down nearly 60%, largely due to pandemic travel restrictions
- FY2021: $5.6 million seized — recovering as travel resumed
October is the first month of CBP’s fiscal year. A single-month total of $459,000 puts FY2025 on pace to approach or exceed those historical annual figures — consistent with the return of normal international travel volumes and what appears to be sustained enforcement focus at Detroit under Director Raybon, who has been notably active in publicizing seizures on social media.
For comparison, March 2024 alone saw roughly $370,000 seized at Detroit Metro Airport and another $100,000 at the Ambassador Bridge — suggesting that October’s numbers, while striking, are within the range of what Detroit CBP has been producing throughout 2024.
What “Misreported” Means — and Why It Matters
The DFO’s tweet described the October 7 seizures as involving “misreported currency” — a distinction worth understanding. Under 31 U.S.C. § 5316, any traveler crossing a U.S. border with more than $10,000 in currency or monetary instruments must file a FinCEN 105 form declaring the full amount. The requirement is not just to file the form — it is to report accurately.
Reporting $9,000 when you are carrying $25,000 is treated as a failure to report the unreported portion. The entire amount is subject to seizure, not just the difference. This catches many travelers off guard — they believe that filing any form puts them in the clear, when in fact an inaccurate declaration is a violation in its own right.
That said, the fact that a traveler attempted to report — even inaccurately — is a significant mitigating factor in the petition process. It distinguishes the case from one involving concealment or no declaration at all, and CBP’s Fines, Penalties and Forfeitures office does take good faith into account. It does not guarantee return of the funds, but it meaningfully affects the outcome. If this describes your situation, the election of proceedings and petition process are still your path to getting your money back.
Has Detroit CBP Confiscated Your Cash?
If Detroit CBP seized your money at the airport, the Ambassador Bridge, or any other Detroit-area port of entry, 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.