Laredo, Texas is the second-highest currency enforcement port in the United States — and by some measures, the most intense outbound enforcement corridor anywhere on the U.S.-Mexico border. The Laredo Field Office covers eight south Texas ports of entry stretching from Brownsville to Del Rio, and in fiscal year 2025 alone those ports seized $5.4 million in unreported currency alongside nearly $674 million in street-value narcotics. Laredo is the highest-volume commercial land port in the United States, handling approximately 40% of all U.S.-Mexico trade by value. That volume — and the drug trafficking that moves alongside it — makes Laredo one of the most consequential currency enforcement locations in the country. This article documents some of the largest and most notable currency seizures in the Laredo area and explains what CBP’s enforcement posture at these crossings means for travelers and commercial operators.
⚠️ Has CBP seized your cash in Laredo? If CBP has seized your currency at a Laredo port of entry, visit our Laredo currency seizure page for information on your options — or call us at (734) 855-4999 for a free consultation.
Why Laredo Ranks Second Nationally for Currency Seizures
Laredo’s position as the second-highest currency enforcement port in the country flows directly from its role as the primary commercial gateway between the United States and Mexico. The Gateway to the Americas Bridge, the World Trade Bridge, the Colombia Solidarity Bridge, and the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge collectively handle an enormous volume of both commercial freight and passenger traffic — and the drug trafficking organizations that exploit those commercial flows generate a corresponding volume of southbound bulk cash that CBP and HSI intercept on a daily basis.
Outbound enforcement is the dominant enforcement mode at Laredo. Unlike airport ports where inbound seizures from arriving passengers are common, Laredo’s enforcement focus is almost entirely on cash leaving the United States — drug proceeds generated by U.S. drug markets being transported southbound to fund cartel operations in Mexico. The amounts involved in individual Laredo cases regularly run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and multi-million dollar seizures — while less common — are documented in the enforcement record.
Notable Large Currency Seizures at Laredo Crossings
$1 Million Seized at Laredo — A Single Enforcement Action
CBP at the Laredo port of entry has documented seizures of $1 million or more in single enforcement actions — cases involving currency concealed in vehicle modifications or commercial cargo that represent the upper end of what outbound enforcement encounters in south Texas. Cases at this scale are processed through CBP headquarters rather than local FP&F and involve HSI criminal investigation alongside the civil forfeiture. Vehicle and currency are both seized, arrests are made, and the cases are referred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas for prosecution.
$460,000 Hidden in a Vehicle — Concealment in Structural Panels
A documented Laredo seizure involved $460,060 in currency concealed within the structural panels of a vehicle attempting to cross southbound — one of the largest single-vehicle seizures at the Laredo crossing. Currency distributed across 36 packages within vehicle panels, each package containing approximately $10,000 to $13,000, reflects the systematic organization of bulk cash for transport that characterizes professional drug money courier operations. The 36-package distribution also raised structuring questions — whether the packaging reflected an original intent to use 36 different couriers or 36 separate crossings rather than a single vehicle, each individual carrying under the reporting threshold. Both the currency and vehicle were seized under 31 U.S.C. § 5332.
$125,000 at the Gateway to the Americas Bridge
CBP officers at the Gateway to the Americas Bridge seized more than $125,000 in unreported currency hidden within a passenger vehicle during a routine outbound examination. The seizure — documented in a CBP press release — reflects the standard enforcement operation at Laredo crossings: vehicles selected for outbound examination, currency found concealed within the vehicle structure, currency and vehicle seized, criminal referral to HSI. Port Director Alberto Flores’ statement described the seizure as reinforcing border security and safeguarding communities from illicit activities — the standard Laredo enforcement framing that positions every outbound bulk cash seizure as a direct disruption to cartel financing.
$91,000 in Unreported Cash — Two Arrested
A Laredo seizure involving $91,000 in unreported currency resulted in two arrests — both individuals in the vehicle taken into custody and referred to HSI. The two-arrest pattern at Laredo is common: both the driver and passenger are treated as participants in the bulk cash smuggling operation when currency is found concealed in the vehicle, regardless of which individual physically controlled the funds. This joint-custody approach reflects CBP’s assessment that bulk cash transport operations at Laredo crossings involve coordinated criminal activity rather than individual violations.
The Scale of Laredo Enforcement — $5.4 Million in FY 2025 Alone
The Laredo Field Office’s FY 2025 announcement — $5.4 million in unreported currency seized across eight south Texas ports alongside 71,733 pounds of narcotics, 514 weapons, and 54,896 rounds of ammunition — illustrates the integrated enforcement environment at Laredo. Currency enforcement is not a standalone operation at Laredo; it is part of a comprehensive interdiction mission targeting the full range of contraband moving across the south Texas border. The currency seizure totals are driven by the same operational infrastructure — targeting intelligence, canine units, imaging technology, coordinated CBP and Border Patrol operations — that generates the narcotics and weapons seizures.
For anyone carrying currency through Laredo crossings, the enforcement environment is as active and as well-resourced as any port in the country. Filing an accurate FinCEN 105 is the only reliable protection. Read our guide on what not to do after a seizure if it is already too late for that.
What to Do If CBP Seized Your Cash at Laredo
If CBP has seized your currency at the Gateway to the Americas Bridge, the World Trade Bridge, the Colombia Solidarity Bridge, or the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge, contact us immediately. Read our customs money seizure legal guide or watch the video series. See our currency seizure case outcomes. 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.