U.S. Customs and Border Protection seizes a lot of money. In the last fiscal year, customs seized more than $81 million dollars in “undeclared or illicit currency.” On June 6, Customs seized over $39,000 in cash from a traveler arriving from Nicaragua. The story says it was seized for a “failure to properly report currency” exceeding $10,000, however, the fact that the money was tucked away in the pockets of 3 different pairs of jeans could give Customs enough facts to allege that it was concealed for the purposes of evading the report requirement — otherwise known as bulk cash smuggling.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, June 6, seized over $39,000 after a traveler failed to properly report the money as required by U.S. law.
Some of the money was stored in the pocket of the traveler’s clothing.
The traveler, a 39-year-old U. S. citizen, arrived from Managua, Nicaragua and was enroute to Los Angeles, California.
While conducting an enforcement operation, CBP Officers encountered the traveler, and asked if he was transporting more than $10,000 in either currency or other monetary instruments. The traveler reported he was transporting $7,800; however, a search of his luggage discovered U.S. currency tucked in the pockets of three pair of jeans packed in his suitcase. The total amount of currency seized was $ 39,162.
The currency was seized for failure to properly report currency in an aggregate amount exceeding $10,000.
“International travelers are provided multiple opportunities to truthfully report the amount of currency they are carrying,” said CBP Port Director Charles Perez. “Those who refuse to comply with the federal reporting requirements face the risk of having that currency seized.
“There is absolutely no limit to the amount of currency a traveler can bring into or take out of the United State,” Perez added. “The only requirement is to report amounts that reach or exceed $10,000.”
Travelers report currency by completing FinCEN Form 105 and giving it to a CBP officer. Currency is not limited to U.S. currency, but includes all negotiable monetary instruments such as Traveler’s Checks, money orders and securities. A complete list of negotiable monetary instruments is available on FinCEN Form 105.
Some of that money might be connected to illegal activity but a lot of that money is also from innocent, arriving travelers, confused about the currency reporting requirement. This appears to be one of those innocent cases where, for whatever reason (be it panic, ignorance, or unfair questioning), he only reported $7,800 instead of the nearly $40,000 that he was carrying. Because Customs has not disclosed his name, it sounds as though criminal charges were not filed yet.
If you have had your currency seized, please 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 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 is reporting on a story of a bulk cash smuggling seizure of $25,000 in Arizona.
Coincidentally, we are in the process of preparing an article on the consequences of bulk cash smuggling currency seizure cases and how they differ from money seizure for a simple failure to report amounts over $10,000. The bulk cash smuggling charges are far more serious than the (already serious) failure to report charges. If you’ve had your cash seized for bulk cash smuggling under 31 USC 5332 (more on that law HERE) then you really need an attorney — that’s because even when legitimate source and intended use are proven — you could still lose all of your cash because it was smuggled.
Here’s the story, told along with other various exploits of Yuma CBP:
Friday night, an immigration inspection of a Greyhound Bus in Blythe, Calif. resulted in the seizure of $25,000 from a female Legal Permanent Resident Card holder. The female had the cash taped to her waistline. She claimed she was just transporting the money. The currency was seized as per Yuma Sector guidelines and the female was released.
If you have had money seized by CBP and don’t know what to do, call our office at (734) 855-4999 or through our contact page. We are able to assist with cash seized by customs around the country, including Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Orlando, San Francisco, Miami, and many other places, and not just locally in Detroit. Please read these other articles:
Last year, U.S. Customs & Border Protection — CBP — in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands seized $10.6 million dollars in unreported currency, smuggled bulk cash, or unlawful currency structuring violations. Last year I called that an overwhelming amount of seized currency.
Most of these customs currency seizures occur at airports, ferry crossings, etc. CBP for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands reported their annual fiscal year statistics for 2014 and this currency seizure number has more than doubled. That is more than overwhelming, it is tremendous… the story also compares currency seizures with those in California, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. All areas in which drug smuggling is pervasive.
In Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, CBP officers and agents seized over 51,043 pounds of narcotics with an estimated street value of approximately 650 million and seized approximately $10.6 million in unreported currency in FY 2014, which runs from October 1, 2013 to September 30, 2014.
But later the story says:
Furthermore, $8.4 million of currency interdictions were reported and over 80 firearms were seized.
$8.4M or $10.6M? Who’s counting over there?! And this is the same government that seizes currency for any mis-report who can’t get their facts straight for their news releases.
If you have had cash seized by customs and are contemplating what to do next, please make use of the other information available on this website or 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 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 more than $220,000 in unreported U.S. currency from two U.S. citizen pedestrians who attempted to walk into Mexico. The story below shows the skill of U.S. Customs officers in detecting people who are transporting more than $10,000 without filing the necessary currency report.
While the story calls it a failure to report, it also looks like bulk cash smuggling. Read our popular article on responding to a currency seizure by clicking HERE; (see our case results here).
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) at the Gateway International Bridge in Brownsville, Texas arrested a man and a woman from Bryan, Texas for allegedly failing to report a total of $223,371 in U.S. currency as they attempted to enter into Mexico.
“This was certainly an outstanding interception of U.S. currency that was headed into Mexico without being properly declared,” said Port Director Petra Horne, Brownsville Port of Entry. “There are many reasons why travelers decline to declare currency being exported into Mexico, but previous experience indicates that usually it does not involve legitimate activities.”
On Feb. 26, CBP officers working outbound operations at Brownsville’s Gateway International Bridge encountered a 23-year-old woman and a 21-year-old man, both U.S. citizens from Bryan, as they attempted to exit into Mexico as pedestrians. Officers referred the couple for a secondary examination after noting discrepancies during their initial encounter and it was there that packets of U.S. currency were discovered hidden on their person. CBP OFO removed and seized 44 packets totaling $38,076 from the female and $85,365 in 22 packets from the male.
CBP-OFO arrested the man and woman and ultimately released them to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents for further investigation. HSI continued their investigation, which led to the discovery and seizure by HSI agents of an additional $100,000 in unreported currency in a vehicle associated with the couple.
If you have had cash seized by customs and are contemplating what to do next, please make use of the other information available on this website or 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 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.
If you are attempting to get your seized currency back from Customs by filing a petition for remission there are several legal requirements written into the Customs laws and regulations. Some do-it-yourselfers come to our customs law firm’s website looking for a sample currency seizure petition they can use to submit to Customs. Customs publishes its own set of forms for use in a wide variety of different customs enforcement/forfeiture contexts; for petitions there is a form called Petition for Remission or Mitigation of Forfeitures and Penalties Incurred (Customs Form 4609 (click to access)). The form is extremely basic and we do not recommended it for use in the context of a customs money seizure. It can be used as a starting point, though, because any petition must have at least the information from that form.
But any good petition for seized currency should have a lot more information to be effective. When we file a petition on behalf of our currency seizure clients they are at least 10 pages long because petitioning for the return of seized currency is a serious legal issue (read more about it here). Many people think it’s easy and sometimes Customs will lead you to believe it is. But why would you believe the people who just took your money? Here’s some of the questions that you should ask yourself before doing it yourself. Any lawyer you hire to help get your seized currency back should be able to answer these questions.
15 Questions to Ask Before Filing a Petition for Remission of Seized Currency with U.S. Customs:
Was the search of your baggage or person constitutional?
What is the standard of proof that must be met by the party with the burden of proof?
Does the currency seizure constitute an excessive fine in violation of the constitution?
How do the federal courts in your state/circuit interpret the currency reporting requirement?
Did you violate the currency reporting requirement?
Are you admitting you violated the law? Are you saying too much? Are you not saying enough?
Are you admitting other violations of laws you are unaware of? (unlawful currency structuring, bulk cash smuggling, conspiracy, FCPA violations (bribes), or false statement to law enforcement, among others)
Did you bring the money from a country under economic sanctions, like Iran? If so, did you violate those sanctions or are you unintentionally admitting you violated those sanctions?
Were there any recognized mitigating factors or aggravating factors?
Are there mitigating factors that Customs has authority to recognize even though not in a written policy?
Did you make an oral amendment of your declaration the Customs did not honor?
Are documents properly notarized?
Are documents properly translated?
If your money was seized by CBP/customs call our office at (734) 855-4999 to speak to a lawyer, or e-mail us through our contact page (see our case results here). Our customs law firm handles currency/money seizures made by customs in Detroit and around the country. We are able to assist with cash seized by customs nationwide, including Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Orlando.
Please read these other articles about money seizures by customs:
As picked up by the Associated Press, Customs seized over $325,000 in cash after finding it hidden inside a TV and two refrigerators (i.e., in other words, if done with intent to evade the currency report requirements, smuggled) on its export from Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic. What the story does say is that anybody was arrested. But that an investigation is continuing, and as explained, the government typically has 5 years to bring criminal charges for currency reporting violations/seizures.
To me, this doesn’t necessarily sound like the money was connected to unlawful activity; a toy gun, some appliances, and… well, that’s really it. There was an alert by a K-9 to the presence of narcotics in some of the currency, but that alone doesn’t prove much. The presence of drugs on currency is widely acknowledged and does not necessarily mean the owners of the currency had any involvement with the drugs themselves, other than innocently owning some dirty money.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers stopped an illegal exportation of currency when officers searched an outbound container booked on the M/V Caribbean Fantasy Ferry destined to the Dominican Republic.
On January 27, CBP officers performed a physical inspection of all cargo inside a container destined to the Dominican Republic as part of outbound screening operations. Utilizing high tech equipment, CBP officers discovered a smuggling attempt of approximately $185,500 hidden in several items, including two refrigerators and a 32” Television set.  They also found a Replica Pistol that fires blanks.
In the same container, a CBP canine alerted to the presence of narcotics on a box of personal effects and household goods. Physical inspection revealed several packages of currency wrapped in carbon paper, summing $139,980 US dollars.
In total, approximately $325,480 was seized. “This is a significant money seizure,” said San Juan Area Port Director Juan Hurtado. “The currency seized represents more than just money lost by drug trafficking organizations. These revenues are what supply the weapons and other means these organizations use for their illicit activities”.
CBP officers seized the hidden contraband and Homeland Security Investigation agents will continue the investigation. Local and federal law enforcement authorities in Puerto Rico will continue to work together to disrupt criminal activity in the island.
If I were the owner of this container, I would contact a customs lawyer immediately. Great Lakes Customs Law handles currency/money seizures made by customs in Detroit and around the country. If CBP seized cash from 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.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) at Dulles airport has once again demonstrated its money-seizing prowess in a news release about yet another customs airport money seizures . In the story, Customs seized money totaling approximately $37,000 from two different sets of people. If you have questions about customs money seizures, get a free currency seizure consultation and read up about the process with our customs money seizure legal guide.
The story itself showcases how irrational a person can be when panicked, which like almost all law enforcement encounters, tips of the scales in favor of law enforcement. When confronting a uniformed customs agent otherwise rational people will do irrational things, such as denying possessing more than $10,000 in writing, verbally reporting more than $10,050, and then seconds later willingly handing over more than $22,000; or reporting $6,000 and then turning over 6 envelopes containing $15,215. It’s not at all uncommon, and most of my clients will tell me that they just panicked and can’t explain why they did what they did.
Let’s have a look at this story from CBP at Dulles Airport now:
STERLING, Va., — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized about $37,000 in unreported currency from two groups of travelers Thursday at Washington Dulles International Airport for violating federal currency reporting regulations.
Two men from China arrived from Beijing and answered “no” on a CBP Declaration form that they possessed currency of $10,000 or more. After questioning, the travelers then verbally reported to a CBP officer that they had more than $10,000.The men completed a U.S. Treasury Department form reporting $10,000 in U.S dollars and $50 in Chinese Yen. During a baggage examination, the men handed a CBP officer two envelopes and a wallet that contained a total of $22,238.
In a second seizure, CBP officers stopped a Northern Virginia couple boarding an outbound international flight. The couple reported verbally and in writing that they possessed a total of $6,000. During the examination, the couple produced six stacks of currency separately concealed on their bodies and in a purse. The total amount of currency equaled $15,215 in U.S dollars. CBP released $215 to the couple for humanitarian purposes, and seized the rest.
None of the four was criminally charged. CBP released them to continue their trips.
There is no limit to how much currency travelers may bring to, or take from the U.S. However, federal law requires travelers to report to CBP amounts exceeding $10,000 in U.S. dollars or equivalent foreign currency. Travelers who refuse to comply with federal currency reporting requirements run the risk of having their currency seized, and may potentially face criminal charges.
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers presented these travelers multiple opportunities to report all of the currency they had in their possession. It’s the law. Hopefully, this is a lesson to all travelers that the easiest way to hold on to their currency is to truthfully report it to a CBP officer,” said Wayne Biondi, CBP Area Port Director for the Port of Washington Dulles.
These folks were not arrested by CBP at Dulles airport, but of course the government has 5 years to criminally charge them. Our customs law firm handles currency/money seizures made by customs in Detroit and around the country.
U.S. Customs reports on a recent customs bulk cash smuggling seizure from a Mexican national attempting to leave the United States. The money was seized and he is being criminally charged. The total amount seized from this individual was $37,181. In order to prevail on criminal bulk cash smuggling charges government must prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, the cash seized by customs was concealed in the vehicle for the purposes of evading the reporting requirement. That’s the essence of the crime of bulk cash smuggling.
Even though the currency was also seized as being involved in a bulk cash smuggling offense, there is a possibility to recover some of the money. To put it somewhat simply, first, he will need to establish that the seized cash came from a legitimate source and had a legitimate intended use. Then, the seized cash can be returned to the extent that seizure is unconstitutional: in other words, that seizure is a violation of the excessive fines clause of the U.S Constitution.
Let’s have a look at the story:
EAGLE PASS, Texas – Federal authorities at the Eagle Pass of Entry arrested a Mexican national Jan. 7, after finding a large amount of undeclared currency in his vehicle as he attempted to leave the country.
“Large amounts of currency may be imported and exported with the proper documentation,” said John Brandt, CBP Port Director, Eagle Pass. “Failure to report international transit of $10,000 or more could mean forfeiture of funds and criminal sanctions.
“Seizing undeclared currency at ports of entry serves to deprive criminal organizations of their profits.”
Around 3 p.m. Jan. 7, CBP officers at Eagle Pass International Bridge I, inspected a 2014 Volkswagen GLI as is departed the United States bound for Mexico. During inspection, officers discovered a total of $36,645 in U.S. currency and 7,890 Mexican pesos ($536.37 U.S.) in various locations throughout the vehicle and in the driver’s possession. Officers recovered currency totaling $37,181.
The driver, a 25-year-old Sabinas, Coahuila, Mexico man, 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.
The Office of Field Operations is the primary organization within U.S. Customs and Border Protection tasked with an anti-terrorism mission at our nation’s ports. CBP officers screen all people, vehicles and goods entering the United States while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. Their mission also includes carrying out border-related duties, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation’s food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.
You can read our popular page on Responding to a Customs Money Seizure HERE. Our customs law firm handles currency/money seizures made by customs in Detroit and around the country; call (734) 855-4999 to consult with a customs lawyer today. If you have had money seized by Detroit CBP/customs call our office at (734) 855-4999 to speak to a lawyer, or e-mail us through our contact page (see our case results here). We are able to assist with cash seized by customs nationwide, including Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Orlando.
Please read these other articles about money seizures by customs:
U.S. Customs & Border Protection released its annual Border Security Report which you can read in full HERE (pdf).  With respect to customs money seizures for failure to report amounts over $10,000 (or, bulk cash smuggling, or structuring), the numbers are staggering. The report states that “the agency seized more than $237 million in unreported currency through targeted enforcement operations.” That’s an average of almost $650,000 per day. It breaks down the number for four southwest states:
Arizona = $3,475,523
Texas = $7,732,830
New Mexico = $969,830
California = $12,908,976
Detroit and other Midwestern ports should be publishing their numbers soon. If you have had money seized by customs call our office at  (734) 855-4999 or CONTACT US BY CLICKING HERE to speak to a customs lawyer. We are able to assist with cash seized by customs nationwide, including Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia.
Having an attorney is especially important if more than one person was travelling and the seizure was of cash, there are allegations of smuggling, or structuring, or if you experienced a lengthy detention or questioning at the time of seizure. We handle this and many other types of cases, which we publish the results of here.  Read our popular article on responding to a currency seizure by clicking HERE.
Please read these other articles about money seizures by customs:
This is a news release from U.S. Customs & Border Protection involving a currency seizure and the arrest of the people who smuggled the currency in their vehicle. The fact of the arrest means that there is a fair chance that the individuals were involved in some sort of illegal activity. We typically handle cases for the seizure of money at the airport by customs where there is no arrest because there is no apparent connection to illegal activity at the time of seizure. You should read our popular page on Responding to a Customs Money Seizure. Let’s have a look at this story, and a picture of the cash seized by customs:
The . . . seizure occurred on Dec. 7, at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge after CBP officers working outbound operations selected a tan 2010 Ford Fusion for inspection. The driver, a 29-year-old female United States citizen from Pharr, Texas and the 63-year-old male passenger, a Mexican citizen from Reynosa, were referred for a secondary inspection. During the course of the secondary examination, Officers discovered packages of unreported U.S. currency secreted within the Ford sedan. CBP-OFO removed and seized 21 packages containing a total of $255,361 of U.S. currency that was allegedly headed into Mexico without being reported.
CBP Field Operations arrested the . . . individuals who were ultimately released to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents for further investigation. CBP-OFO also seized all the vehicles involved in the failed smuggling attempts.
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.
CBP’s Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry is part of the South Texas Campaign, which leverages federal, state and local resources to combat transnational criminal organizations.
Again, Customs gets it wrong here when they say “$10,000 or more” must be reported; it is “more than $10,000”. A slight difference, but a difference nonetheless.
Our customs law firm handles currency/money seizures made by customs in Detroit and around the country; call (734) 855-4999 to consult with a customs lawyer today (Responding to a Customs Money Seizure HERE).If you have had money seized by Detroit CBP/customs call our office at (734) 855-4999 to speak to a lawyer, or e-mail us through our contact page (see our case results here). We are able to assist with cash seized by customs nationwide, including Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Orlando.
Please read these other articles customs currency seizures:
currency seizure number has 
dollars and $50 in Chinese Yen. During a baggage examination, the men handed a CBP officer two envelopes and a wallet that contained a total of $22,238.
