Tag: bulk cash smuggling

Stacks of cash totaling $96,800 in unreported currency seized by CBP officers at Hidalgo International Bridge in Texas

CBP seizes $96K in cash at Hidalgo Bridge

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on May 5, 2023

The latest press release from CBP deals with a cash seizure for, among other things, bulk cash smuggling and a failure to report cash on FinCen 105 form, at the Texas-Mexico southern border. The full story is available here.

In this story, we continue to see the government’s odd fixation with reporting the details of vehicle the individual was driving — here, a maroon Chevrolet SUV. Enjoy!:

HIDALGO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Hidalgo International Bridge intercepted $96,800 in undeclared currency from a traveler heading to Mexico.

“CBP officers conduct outbound enforcement operations to protect against unreported exportations of bulk U.S. currency, which can often be proceeds from alleged illicit activity, or currency that funds transnational criminal organizations,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry.

On May 2, 2023, CBP officers conducting outbound enforcement operations at the Hidalgo International Bridge encountered a maroon Chevrolet SUV, driven by a 42-year-old male Mexican citizen traveling southbound to Mexico. A CBP officer referred the vehicle for further inspection. After physically inspecting the vehicle, officers discovered seven bundles of currency totaling $96,800 in various denominations concealed within a hidden compartment in the vehicle.

CBP OFO seized the currency and vehicle. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) arrested the driver and initiated a criminal investigation.

Have you had cash seized by CBP in Texas?

If you’ve had cash seized CBP in Texas, you can learn more about the process from our trusted customs money seizure legal guide and can contact us for a free currency seizure consultation by clicking the contact buttons on this page.

Stacks totaling $198,902 in unreported cash seized by CBP in Texas

CBP Seizes $190K Cash at Pharr, Texas, bridge

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on April 8, 2023

If you’re going to Mexico with $198,902 and no plans to report it, you should probably take a toothbrush (so you can brush your teeth in jail) and a credit card for when you get out, because you’re going to lose the money and be accused of crimes.

That’s the lesson that should have been learned by this anonymous individual who attempting to take the nearly $200,000 from the United States to Mexico, for unknown reasons (but really, we all know it’s drug related, right?)

This story provides an opportunity to respond to a frequently asked question:

Question: “If I am traveling with money, do I need to bring proof of it being legal money?”

Answer: Generally, no, you don’t. You only need to fill out the FinCen 105 form if you are transporting (or causing to be transported) more than $10,000. But, that’s only going to get you out of a violation of the Currency and Monetary Instrument Reporting laws (Title 31).

If CBP still thinks you’re committing some other crime, like drug trafficking, money laundering, or something else, they can still seize the money (whether you filed a FinCen 105 form or not) because they think you’re doing something else wrong. If you have a criminal or arrest history significant for these types of crimes, the odds of seizure go up dramatically.

But, on to the text of the story from our friends in Pharr, Texas, at CBP:

PHARR, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Pharr International Bridge intercepted $198,902 in undeclared currency from a traveler heading to Mexico.

“CBP officers conduct outbound enforcement operations to protect against unreported exportations of bulk U.S. currency, which often can be proceeds from alleged illicit activity, or currency that funds transnational criminal organizations,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry.

On April 4, 2023, CBP officers conducting outbound enforcement operations at the Pharr International Bridge encountered a white Jeep driving southbound to Mexico. A CBP officer referred the vehicle for further inspection which included screening by a canine team. After physically inspecting the vehicle, officers discovered nine bundles of currency totaling $198,902 in various denominations concealed within the vehicle.

CBP OFO arrested the driver, seized the currency and vehicle, and the case remains under investigation by special agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Have you had cash seized by CBP in Texas?

Stacks of bills containing $126,000 in unreported currency seized by CBP officers at Hidalgo International Bridge during an outbound examination.

CBP Seizes $126K at Hidalgo Port

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on March 24, 2023

CBP recently seized more than $125k from an individual heading to Mexico. The vehicles were found using “non-intrusive inspection” equipment (think x-rays) to locate 12 bundles of currency hidden within the vehicle. This then is a “bulk cash smuggling” seizure so more than just your average “I-swear-officer-that-I-have-$9,900 but-really-I-have-$11,000”-type airport reporting incident, which makes up a large volume of the cases nationally.

These kinds of cases are usually drug related, but the story does not say that the individual was arrested. You would expect an arrest if he was courier. Perhaps the story doesn’t go into that detail, or perhaps the person is somehow innocent (stranger things have happened). Here’s the whole cash seizure tale:

HIDALGO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Hidalgo International Bridge intercepted $126,000 in undeclared currency.

On March 22, 2023, CBP officers conducting outbound enforcement operations at the Hidalgo International Bridge encountered a green Nissan sedan driving southbound to Mexico. A CBP officer referred the vehicle for further inspection which included the use of utilizing non-intrusive inspection (NII) equipment. After physically inspecting the vehicle, officers discovered twelve bundles of currency totaling $126,000 in various denominations concealed within the vehicle.

CBP OFO seized the currency and vehicle, and the case remains under investigation by special agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Have you had cash seized by CBP?

If you’ve had cash seized CBP in Hidalgo, you can learn more about the process from our trusted customs money seizure legal guide and can contact us for a free currency seizure consultation by clicking the contact buttons on this page.

Dulles CBP Seizes $227K from 4 Travelers

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on October 22, 2022

The DC Metro area has a large community of African ex-pats, which means that the DC Metro area and specifically, Dulles airport, has a lot of cash moving into and out of the country from and to Africa.

The story quoted below from CBP pertains to 4 recent cash seizures, 3 of which involve Africa. First, more than $100,000 from a couple traveling to Lagos, Nigeria. Customs seized all the cash after the couple only reported less than $20,000. From the looks of it (the money was in differing envelopes), they were probably carrying cash back for others.

Second, someone traveling to Ethiopia had $13,000+ seized by CBP after reporting only $2,700 at the Dulles airport.

Third, a man traveling to Ghana with $82,560 had all of his money seized by airport CBP, with no further details provided.

Finally, a father and daughter couple had about $30,000 seized by CBP on their way to Doha, Qatar.

As I’ve said as I’ve said in my commentary on previous seizures from CBP in Dulles Airport, it is one of the more stringent and more difficult places to get seized money back from. The the evidence that needs to be supplied to satisfy them that the seized currency came from a legitimate source and legitimate intended use must be thorough and meticulously presented.

Here’s the story:

STERLING, Va. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized more than $227,000 from travelers departing Washington Dulles International Airport to Africa during the last 30 days for violating U.S. currency reporting laws.

The most recent seizure was the largest as CBP officers seized $101,825 from a U.S. citizen couple destined to Lagos, Nigeria on Saturday. The couple verbally declared $19,600 and completed a U.S. Treasury Department FINCEN 105 form reporting that amount. A subsequent baggage search revealed additional envelopes of currency. Officers seized all the currency and released the travelers.

Also on Saturday, CBP officers seized $13,332 in unreported currency from a U.S. lawful permanent resident who was destined to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The resident, a Togo national, reported that he possessed $2,700. Officers discovered the additional currency during a baggage examination.

On October 1, CBP officers seized $82,560 in unreported currency from a U.S. traveler who attempted to board a flight to Accra, Ghana, and on September 17, CBP officers seized $29,822 in unreported currency from a U.S. father and daughter who were boarding a flight to Doha, Qatar. A CBP currency detector dog alerted to the bulk currency in these two seizures.

The total amount of unreported currency seized was $227,539.

CBP is not releasing any of the travelers’ names because none were criminally charged.

Has Dulles CBP seized your cash?

If Dulles CBP has seized your cash, we urge you to call us for a consultation before considering doing it yourself. You probably will not be happy with the outcome if you do, based on Dulles’ aggressive posture in most cases. Read our trusted customs money seizure legal guide (or watch the videos) and can contact us for a free currency seizure consultation by clicking the contact buttons on this page.

CBP Detroit Seizes $1 Million Cash at Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on September 12, 2022

There was a huge cash seizure at the Blue Water Bridge that connects Port Huron, Michigan with Sarnia, Ontario, which is all part of the Detroit Field Office of CBP.

The story is interesting, of course, not only because it involves more than $1 million in cash but for some other details given.

First, he left the United States and was turned back when trying to enter Canada. This means he violated 31 USC 5316 when he left the country without reporting the money.

If Canada had let him enter at this point, CBP would have never found out (unless CBSA found out, and then reported back to CBP).

But things didn’t work out like that. He was refused entry into Canada and sent back through US Customs.

And that’s when the trouble started. CBP probably had a heightened level of suspicion after his refusal from Canada, and so they asked him some questions; one of them was, “Do you have any currency or monetary instruments to declare?”

He said he did not. It is alleged, then, the officer gave him a chance to amend his declaration. So he then declared $990,000. Even if this report was accurate (which it turns out it wasn’t), the initial violation already occurred when he left the country without reporting it.

At this point, of course, CBP steps in and starts counting the money to see if his report is accurate and, also no doubt, is interested to know why the man is traveling with so much cash (it’s not illegal in-and-of itself, but it’s certainly unusual).

Here’s the story:

PORT HURON, Mich.— On August 22, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations at the Blue Water Bridge seized over $1 million in currency from a U.S. citizen after he failed to report the funds to CBP officers.The male traveler and his family arrived in Port Huron after being refused entry into Canada. He initially denied carrying more than $10,000 to officials. Officers gave the traveler a chance to amend his declaration, which he modified to $990,000. Further inspection by CBP officers led to the discovery of two safes containing $1,096,584.

“There is no limit as to how much currency travelers can import or export as long as it is accurately declared to CBP,” said acting Port Director Geoffrey Stoffel.

Currency reporting rules require travelers to declare when they transport more than $10,000 in monetary instruments when travelling into or outside of the United States. Violators may face criminal penalties and forfeiture of the undisclosed funds.

In Detroit and Port Huron, I can typically resolve a cash seizure case in about 90 days from the date of seizure to the date of the return of (most of) the funds.

However, there are special rules for property that is worth more than $500,000. 19 USC 1610 says that if it’s worth more than $500,000, the money must be judicially forfeited. However, CAFRA still is going to apply and as such, a notice of seizure should be issued within the typical 60 day (but in certain cases, no later than 90 day) time-frame.

Even if the parties choose a petition, the case is going to be decided by CBP officials and Treasury Department officials. CBP policy says anything valued at more than $100,000 gets taken out of the hands of the local port-level officials (here, Detroit FP&FO) and instead goes to the Office of Regulations & Rulings at CBP HQ in Washington, DC.

The penalty, for a simple “failure to report” or inaccurate report, would be somewhere north of $50,000. If it’s considered bulk cash smuggling, which seems like a likely allegation in this case (given that he first passed through CBP without reporting it upon exiting the country), then the penalty can be 50% of the total amount seized.

The bottom line is, all the procedural options, complications, and safeguards surrounding seizures valued at more than $500,000, means this case is going to take more than the typical 90 days to resolve.

Has Detroit CBP seized your cash?

If CBP in Detroit seized your cash, you need a lawyer. Read our trusted customs money seizure legal guide (or watch the videos) and can contact us for a free currency seizure consultation by clicking the contact buttons on this page.

Hundred Dollar Bills Stacked of Cash Seized by CBP Texas

CBP Officers Seize over $100K in Undeclared Currency at Hidalgo International Bridge

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on June 30, 2022

Earlier this year, CBP seized a shocking amount of money was seized heading into Mexico from the United States by a 26 year old female U.S. citizen. The money was all found “on her person,” which is a way of saying that the money was more than just “undeclared” but rather, was smuggled. The cash was seized and the woman was arrested. Here’s the relevant part of the story (original here):

HIDALGO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Hidalgo International Bridge intercepted $114,294 in undeclared currency.

On April 24, 2022, CBP officers conducting outbound enforcement operations at the Hidalgo International Bridge encountered a blue Ford SUV making its way out of the United States toward Mexico. The vehicle was a taxi occupied by a 26-year-old U.S. citizen woman. The vehicle was selected for inspection and at the secondary inspection area, officers discovered numerous packages of tape wrapped U.S. currency on the woman’s person. A total of twelve packages with a total of $114,294 of undeclared currency was discovered on her person.

The currency was seized by CBP. The subject was arrested, and the case was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) special agents for further investigation.

The fact the woman was arrested is a pretty good indication that CBP believed the money was connected to illegal activity beyond the simple failure to report and smuggling; that it was derived from or intended to further some illegal enterprise, such as narcotic trafficking.

Have you had cash seized by CBP?

Stacks of US Currency lined up on a long table in front of a CBP sign

Dulles CBP Seizes $46K in Cash from Ghana and Egypt bound travellers

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on May 19, 2022

CBP cash seizures in Dulles are on the rise with increased international travel. In this story, Dulles airport CBP officers seized $20,404 from a man traveling to Ghana and a couple traveling to Egypt with $26,043.

The man traveling to Ghana made an inaccurate report, but he still reported more than $10,000. But, his mistake was 1) his report was not accurate and 2) he did not report the money until he was asked. You need to file the FinCen 105 currency and monetary instrument report (CMIR) before you are asked to do so, otherwise it is obvious you had the intention of not reporting it until you were asked, and so, at minimum, would be responsible for an attempted violation of 31 USC 5316, failure to report cash.

The couple traveling from Dulles airport to Egypt that had their cash seized by CBP are in a tougher situation though. In their case, some of their money was “concealed inside a suitcase liner.” This allows CBP to claim the money was hidden with the intent it would not be found by Customs, which is the classic definition of bulk cash smuggling. Bulk cash smuggling leads to higher penalties, and a higher rate of forfeiture (permanent loss of all or part of the money).

The story follows below….

STERLING, Va. – The best way for travelers to keep their currency when traveling is to truthfully report all of it to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer during inspection. CBP has repeated that advice for years, yet officers still encounter travelers at Washington Dulles International Airport who ignore that simple advice.

For example, CBP officers at Dulles airport recently seized more than $46,000 combined during two separate currency seizures from travelers departing the United States.

In the most recent case on Sunday, CBP officers inspected a U.S. citizen destined to Ghana. The man initially reported, both verbally and in writing, that he possessed $14,000. However, officers discovered a total of $19,904 in his carry-on bag, and an additional $500 in his backpack for a total of $20,404. Officers seized the currency, returned $404 to the man as humanitarian relief, and released him to continue his travel.

Earlier, on April 26, a CBP currency detector dog alerted to a couple’s carry-on bags and the couple, who were destined to Egypt, reported that they possessed $15,000. During an examination, CBP officers discovered additional currency in the woman’s purse and even more concealed inside a suitcase liner for a total of $26,043. CBP officers seized the currency, then returned $1,043 as a humanitarian relief and released the couple to continue their travel.

“We cannot make this point enough, travelers can carry all the currency they want to and from the United States, but U.S. federal law requires them to make a formal report on amounts of $10,000 or greater. It’s that simple,” said Daniel Escobedo, CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area Port of Washington, D.C. “The consequences for violating US currency reporting laws are severe – from missing a flight and interrupting vacation plans, to seeing all their currency seized by a Customs and Border Protection officer, and to even facing criminal prosecution for bulk currency smuggling. It’s too easy to just be truthful.”

Has Dulles CBP seized your cash?

Electronic FinCen105 From CBP

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on March 31, 2022

In the past few years, CBP has made it possible to file a FinCEN 105 form online at this website. Common sense would tell you if you file the report that you’re carrying more than $10,000 in cash (or monetary instruments) online, you can avoid having to go through the hassle of reporting the money in person.

That’s common sense, anyway. So much for that, because you’d be 100% wrong. If you file the report online, you still have to physically report to CBP as confirmation! For this reason, I did a new YouTube video on the topic:

You can also see my other YouTube videos on related cash seizure topics on our channel here: Great Lakes Customs Law YouTube Channel

Has CBP seized your money?

Has CBP seized your money? If so, we can help. Read our helpful customs money seizure legal guide (or watch the videos) and contact us for a free currency seizure consultation by clicking the contact buttons on this page.

CBP Laredo Seizes $91K in Unreported Cash

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on March 19, 2022

CBP new’s releases have been lean on stories about money seizures for structuring, bulk cash smuggling, failure to report; the trinity of CMIR (currency and monetary instrument report) cases. These types of asset forfeitures all pertain to the movement of more than $10,000 in cash without filing the necessary FinCen 105 report.

For that reason, I am reaching back in time to some old news releases that I never had a chance to comment on before. In this Laredo story, a 30 year old man and 19 year old woman were heading to Mexico and failure to report $91,116, which was also concealed in their clothing and packages.

That sounds like both a violation of 31 USC 5316 (failure to report more than $10,000 currency) and 31 USC 5332 (bulk cash smuggling). In this case, the they were both arrested! That to me means there was further suspicion on the part of CBP that there was criminal activity beyond the CMIR violations afoot. Here’s the full story:

LAREDO, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers working outbound operations seized over $91,000 in undeclared currency in a single enforcement act.

. . .

The enforcement action occurred on Thursday, March 25 at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge, when officers assigned to outbound operations selected a 2017 Chevrolet Equinox traveling to Mexico for inspection. A 30-year-old male United States citizen driver and 19-year-old female passenger were referred for a secondary examination. Upon physical inspection of the drivers’ clothing, packages containing $91,116 in undeclared U.S currency were discovered.

The currency was seized by CBP. Both subjects were arrested, and the case was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-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. . . . Failure to declare may result in seizure of the currency and/or arrest.

Has Laredo CBP seized your money?

Has Laredo CBP seized your money? If so, we can help. Read our helpful customs money seizure legal guide (or watch the videos) and contact us for a free currency seizure consultation by clicking the contact buttons on this page.

$29,000 worth of cash displayed by CBP after seizure at Dulles airport

Dulles CBP Seize $29K in Cash from Congolese Man

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on February 11, 2022

CBP seizes about $342,000 each day, on average, at airports across the country and at our borders. In this story, CBP seized about $29,000 from a Congolese man who was arriving the United States. He was not criminally charged and although the story contains a cautionary tale at the ending about bulk cash smuggling, it does not say he was actually bulk cash smuggling.

Here’s the story:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized $29,900 in unreported currency from a man who arrived on a flight from Ethiopia at Washington Dulles International Airport on Tuesday.

CBP officers interviewed the Congolese national traveler and explained the U.S. currency reporting law to him. The traveler declared both verbally and in writing that he possessed $10,000. During an inspection, CBP officers discovered a total of $29,900 in the man’s possession.

CBP officers seized the currency for violating U.S. currency reporting laws, then released the man. CBP is not releasing the traveler’s name because he was not criminally charged.

“The consequences for violating U.S. currency reporting laws are severe; penalties may include seizure of most or all of the traveler’s currency, or potential criminal charges,” said Daniel Escobedo, CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area Port of Washington, D.C. “Customs and Border Protection strongly encourages all travelers to be well informed of their role in CBP’s international arrivals inspection process at CBP’s Travel website.”

CBP officers have observed that smuggled bulk currency may be the proceeds of illicit activity, such as proceeds from the sales of dangerous drugs or revenue from financial crimes, and officers work hard to disrupt transnational criminal organizations by intercepting their currency smuggling attempts at our nation’s borders.

Has Dulles CBP seized your cash?