CBP in Texas made a HUGE cash seizure totaling $715,010. That’s not a typo: SEVEN HUNDRED FIFTEEN THOUSAND AND 10 DOLLARS.
Astonishing.Â
The story below is light on details, except to say that the cash was discovered in 32 packages on a commercial bus, and that it was all seized. It was mostly in $20 bills.
No word about arrests whatsoever, or if there were people on the bus who were involved. That’s kind of odd. Most stories about money seizures indicate who was involved, and what happened to them.
Could it be that 32 different people traveling on the bus were each carrying around $22,324 in cash back home to their families in Mexico, or were going for some extended vacations?
If not, this is a great example of bulk cash smuggling. That is, hiding cash with the intent to not file the currency report (FinCen 105).
Here’s the story from CBP:
HIDALGO, Texas—Officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Hidalgo International Bridge intercepted $715,010 in unreported U.S. currency in a commercial bus attempting to enter into Mexico.
“This seizure certainly ranks amongst the most notable currency interceptions accomplished by the Hidalgo Port of Entry,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez. “In our past encounters, these large sums of unreported currency are usually associated with illicit activities and OFO will seize these proceeds.”
This seizure occurred on Sept. 24 after CBP officers conducting outbound operations at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge referred a commercial bus for further inspection. A thorough examination, which included the utilization of a non-intrusive imaging (NII) system, resulted in officers discovering 32 packages containing U.S. currency hidden within the bus. The currency denominations included $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100, with the majority being $20 bills.
CBP OFO seized the currency, the commercial bus and the case remains under investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents.
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.
Have you had money seized by CBP in Texas?
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