Tag: florida

Texas CBP seized cash. A picture of 19 stacks of $20 and $100 bills part of the cash seized by CBP at Hidalgo International Bridge

Orlando Cash Seizure by CBP

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on

An Orlando cash seizure by U.S. Customs & Border Protection at Orando International Airport is a first for this customs “blawg”. The story from CBP, quoted in part below, describes the events leading up to a seizure. In this case, the cash smuggler was a Spaniard exiting the country for Costa Rica in Orlando. He only reported having $800 cash, not the $100,000 he was found with:

The individual, a Spanish passport holder, was boarding a flight to Costa Rica when stopped for questioning by CBP officers performing outbound operations.  When asked how much money he was carrying the man responded $800. However, upon further inspection of the man and his luggage CBP officers discovered the unreported currency violating federal currency reporting regulations.

The story says this was cash smuggling (a/k/a bulk cash smuggling), but does not explain why. Recall as we’ve explained here before that bulk cash smuggling involves the concealment of cash in any way with an intent to evade the cash reporting requirement.

No word, though, on how it was concealed or what tipped CBP off leading to this big Orlando cash seizure. That’s a fairly big wad of cash; even assuming it was all in $100 bills, that would still be a total of 10,000 Benjamins. The laws are enforced differently by each port, with more of less zeal than others. It could be that the money was just in a carry-on bag in one or two places and CBP considered it bulk cash smuggling because it was not in plain sight and it was coupled with a failure to report. In other words, if I put $100,000 in my bag and, when asked, tell CBP I only have $800 then CBP is pretty safe in presuming that I am evading the reporting requirement and that is why I’ve hid the cash.

On the other hand, the smuggling could be more intentional. It could be that it bundles of currency were sewn into the lining of the luggage, or into the lining of clothing that was then placed in the carry-on. That is a stronger showing of concealment with intent to evade because more planning is involved in sewing the money in a way that avoids casual discovery.

Have you experienced an Orlando cash seizure by CBP?

If you experienced an Orlando cash seizure by U.S. Customs & Border Protection  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.

CBP Seizes Alleged Counterfeit Auto Parts in Florida

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on

Here’s one of those seldom thought about counterfeit merchandise seizures: counterfeit autoparts. When you think about counterfeits you usually think about currency, clothing, watches, and things like that. You don’t typically think of auto parts being something is counterfeited. But apparently they are out there, and it happens a lot, and its dangerous. Here’s the story from Customs (full version here):

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and import specialists seized more than 3,260 counterfeit automobile parts during an inspection at Port Everglades on May 8. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price of the counterfeit products is around $280,000.

CBP, along with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), targeted the shipment as part of a joint multi-layered enforcement operation focused on interdicting illegal counterfeit automotive parts.

The seizure included over 180 different types of vehicle parts ranging from small fuses to front ends.

Counterfeit automotive parts are a safety risk as they are of inferior quality compared to the authentic product and their failure to perform to standard could cause safety issues resulting in catastrophic failure.

 

You might be facing penalties from customs for importing counterfeit merchandise. We can help. Typically, we recommended preparing and filing a petition, with the assistance of legal counsel, which argues persuasively for the substantial mitigation, or when the facts and law warrant it, cancellation of the penalty in full.

Great Lakes Customs Law has been very successful in getting these kinds of penalties reduced and, sometimes, even eliminated entirely (some history of our success is HERE).If you have had merchandise seized by customs because they allege it is counterfeit and contains trademark violations and/or have a received a notice of penalty for importing alleged counterfeits or for making an importation contrary to law, 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 petitions for customs penalties and seizures around the country, including Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Orlando and many other places. Please read these other articles: