Tag: laredo

Stacks containing $125,306 in unreported U.S. currency seized by CBP officers at Laredo Port of Entry.

CBP Laredo seizes $125K in smuggled cash

Last month, CBP officers in Laredo seized $125,000 in bulk cash smuggled out of the USA into Mexico. The story highlights the consequences of failing to report currency amounts exceeding $10,000 and engaging in bulk cash smuggling, both civil and criminal offenses that can result in currency seizure criminal jeopardy.

Unless as person is involved in other illegal activity (i.e., drug crimes, money laundering, etc) then it’s unlikely the person will face criminal charges for simply carrying or hiding more than $10,000. Most of our (more than 630) clients over the past 14 years have never faced criminal prosecution for their currency reporting violations.

They do, however, usually face a difficult bureaucracy, confusing procedures, differing options, and arbitrary denials quite regularly. We specialize in navigating this complex terrain and providing assistance. But first, let’s delve into the details of this recent seizure publicized by CBP:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Gateway to the Americas Bridge recently seized over $125,000 in unreported currency hidden within a passenger vehicle during an outbound examination.

“It is important to acknowledge the efforts of our CBP officers who continue to maintain law and order,” said Port Director Alberto Flores, Laredo Port of Entry.  “Currency seizures intercepted play a significant role in reinforcing border security and safeguarding communities from the threat of illicit activities.”

The seizure occurred on Monday, November 20 at the Gateway to the Americas Bridge when a CBP officer conducting outbound examinations selected a 2014 Chevrolet Malibu driven by a 36-year-old male U.S. citizen for examination. After initial inspection, CBP officers conducted an intensive physical examination and discovered a total of $125,306 in unreported currency hidden within the vehicle.

CBP officers seized the currency. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents arrested the driver and initiated a criminal investigation.

Have you had cash seized by CBP in Laredo?

If you’ve had cash seized CBP in Laredo, 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.

Cash Seized by El Paso Texas CBP

CBP Laredo Seizes $91K in Unreported Cash

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.

Stacks of cash seized by CBP in Laredo

CBP Laredo Seizes $261K in Currency to Mexico

In two recent cases described in a news release below two individuals were arrested not filing a CMIR (FinCen 105 report) upon leaving the USA to Mexico.

The story is light on details — except, for some reason, what car the people were driving (for unknown reasons this is always so important at the Mexican border!).

There is no mention of bulk cash smuggling, though it seems likely the money was hidden and not reported. Even if they are criminally charged, both defendants would have the ability to get the money back provided they show the money has no nexus to illegal activity (legitimate source, legitimate use).

Here’s what CBP says recently happened at the nation’s southern border in Laredo, Texas, as described here:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers working outbound operations at the Juarez Lincoln Bridge, seized over $261,000 in two separate, unrelated incidents.

The first enforcement action occurred on Jan. 24, when officers assigned to outbound operations selected a 2009 Kia Sorento traveling to Mexico for inspection. The vehicle was driven by a 53-year-old female United States citizen. Upon physical inspection of the subject’s personal belongings, packages containing $65,560 in undeclared currency were discovered.

The second enforcement action occurred on Jan. 29, when officers intercepted a 2006 Ford F-150 traveling to Mexico and selected it for inspection. The vehicle was driven by a 34-year-old male Mexican citizen. Upon physical inspection of the subject’s vehicle, packages containing $195,731 in undeclared currency were discovered.

The seizures combined totaled $261,291.

The currency and vehicles were seized by CBP. Both drivers were arrested, and the cases were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) special agents for further investigation.

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.

CBP Texas seizes $297K Cash at Del Rio

Recently, customs discovered a huge cache of cash when inspecting a vehicle heading into Mexico. The story, which comes to us out of Del Rio Texas, part of the Laredo sector, is detailed below.

The headline of the news release styles this as being “unreported” currency, however what this really is (in addition to being unreported) is bulk cash smuggling. As that link explains, bulk cash smuggling occurs when money is hidden with the purpose of evading the reporting requirement that requires an individual entering or leaving the country with more than $10,000 to file a report.

 U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers working outbound operations seized over $297,000 in undeclared currency in a single enforcement action.

“CBP conducts 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 Liliana Flores, Del Rio Port of Entry. “This currency seizure demonstrates an outstanding job by our officers.”

The enforcement action occurred on Wednesday, May 5 at the Del Rio International Bridge, when officers assigned to outbound operations selected a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze traveling to Mexico for a secondary examination. Upon physical inspection of the vehicle, packages containing $297,311 in unreported U.S. currency were discovered.

The currency was seized by CBP OFO officers. A 23-year-old male Mexican citizen passenger 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.

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. “Money” means monetary instruments and includes U.S. or foreign coins currently in circulation, currency, travelers’ checks in any form, money orders, and negotiable instruments or investment securities in bearer form. Failure to declare may result in seizure of the currency and/or arrest.

Has Del Rio CBP seized your cash?

If Del Rio CBP has seized your cash, we urge you to call us for a consultation before considering doing it yourself. 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.

$140k in Cash Bundles seized by CBP Laredo

CBP Laredo Seizes $140K Cash

CBP officers in Laredo discovered and seized $140,000 cash hidden in the suitcase of a 26 year-old Mexican national who was leaving the United States for Mexico. In this case (unlike most of my cash seizure clients), the individual was arrested.

Although every failure to report cash is itself a criminal offense, it is very rare overall that someone is arrested and criminally charged for a failure to report. In my estimation, if suspects you are up to some criminal activity beyond the failure to report or smuggle cash (i.e., using it to buy/sell drugs), then you are far more likely to be arrested.

And again, why does every US-Mexico border story tell us what kind of vehicle was involved? Not relevant, and a little weird, but it was a 2014 Volvo bus.

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 $140,000 in undeclared currency in a single enforcement act over the weekend.

“CBP’s national security mandate is complex, ranging from anti-terrorism to more traditional counter-drug operations,” said Acting Port Director Eugene Crawford, Laredo Port of Entry. “This seizure is a direct reflection of our continuous commitment to enforce federal currency reporting requirements.”

The enforcement action occurred on Saturday, February 13th, when officers assigned to outbound operations selected a 2014 Volvo bus traveling to Mexico for inspection. A 26-year-old male Mexican citizen passenger was referred for a secondary examination. Upon physical inspection of the subject’s personal belongings, packages containing $140,750 in undeclared currency were discovered.

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.

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.

300k-Cash-Seized-Laredo-CBP

CBP Seizes Over $300K in Currency at Brownsville

CBP in Brownsville intercepted over $300,000 in bulk cash that was being smuggled out of the United States and into Mexico. The story, quoted below, implies that money was hidden within the vehicle in 14 separate packages and the vehicle (a 2013 Dodge Durango, who cares?) was driven by a 36 year old man.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers at the Brownsville Port of Entry seized over $300,000 in undeclared currency while conducting enforcement operations.

On Friday, May 22, officers working outbound operations stopped a 2013 Dodge Durango driven by a 36-year-old man, citizen of the United States, traveling to Mexico and referred the man for inspection.  Upon physical inspection of the vehicle, CBP officers discovered 14 packages of undeclared currency in the amount of $306,601. The currency was seized by CBP.

“Exporting undeclared currency in excess of $10,000 can carry serious consequences,” said Port Director Tater Ortiz, Brownsville Port of Entry. “CBP readily upholds its national security mission and our officers are highly skilled to identify these violations and enforce the law.”

The man 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.

Has Brownsville CBP seized your cash?

If CBP in Brownsville has seized your cash, you need a lawyer. Read 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.

$55000 Cash Seized in Laredo

Laredo CBP Seizes $55k

Laredo CBP seized $55,000 being taken from the United States to Mexico on May 3rd. This, despite the border being closed to all but non-essential travel due to the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s the story, which is light on details except they specify the van they were driving… why, I don’t know. But here’s a picture of a 2007 Ford E35 van, to give the story some more context:
2007 Ford E35 Van

LAREDO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge intercepted … currency [on Sunday, May 3rd].

“CBP conducts enforcement operations to protect against the … unreported exportations of bulk currency,” said Port Director Gregory Alvarez, Laredo Port of Entry. “These interceptions exemplify CBP’s commitment to stop the illegal importation and exportation of contraband.”

* * *

On Sunday, May 3rd, officers conducting outbound operations stopped a 2007 Ford E35 van for inspection. Upon physical inspection of the vehicle, packages containing $55,000 of undeclared currency were discovered. The vehicle and currency were seized by CBP.

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.

$12,000 Stacked on Steel Table Seized by CBP Laredo

CBP Laredo Seizes $12,000 Heading to Mexico

CBP in Texas, this time in Laredo, Texas, seized $12,031 from a person walking into Mexico.

They call the unreported, and possibly smuggled cash, contraband. This is true; although carrying money into or out of the country is not illegal, not reporting more than $10,000, smuggling it (hiding it), or structuring it (dividing it), is illegal. Thus, because the money is involved in this violation, it becomes contraband because it is illegally imported or exported.

Here’s part of news release:

LAREDO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers at the Laredo Port of Entry seize contraband … while conducting enforcement operations.

On Thursday, May 7, officers working outbound operations stopped a pedestrian traveling to Mexico for inspection.  Upon physical inspection of the pedestrian’s personal belongings, officers discovered packages of undeclared currency in the amount of $12,031. The currency was seized by CBP.

There is no indication in the story that the person was arrested, only that they were under investigation.

Has CBP seized your currency?

Has CBP seized your currency? 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 Seizes $45k Currency and Vehicle in Laredo

Though money seizures from traveler’s have slowed at the nation’s airports due to the pandemic, such is not the case at our nation’s land-borders, especially with Mexico. As an example, today we bring our customs law blog’s audience Customs seizure of $45,000 in unreported cash heading to Mexico about a month ago. The story was also picked up by Breitbart (why this run-of-the-mill seizure merited their attention I can only guess).

In this case, not only the currency was seized, but also the vehicle. The people involved were not arrested, however. The seizure of the vehicle might mean that they suspect more was going on than just some people traveling with cash that they did not want to report; it could also be seized because it is what the cash was smuggled inside of… that is called bulk cash smuggling.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers working outbound operations seized over $45,000 in undeclared currency in a single enforcement act over the weekend.

“CBP’s national security mandate is complex, ranging from Anti-Terrorism to more traditional counter drug operations,” said Port Director Gregory Alvarez, Laredo Port of Entry. “This seizure of $45,157 is a direct reflection of our continuous commitment to enforce federal currency reporting requirements.”

On Friday, April 11, officers assigned to outbound operations referred a 2020 Toyota Avalon traveling to Mexico for examination. Upon physical inspection of the vehicle and subject’s personal belongings, packages containing $45,157 of undeclared currency were discovered. The vehicle and currency were seized by CBP.

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

Has Laredo CBP seized your cash?

If CBP in Laredo has seized your cash, you need a lawyer. Read 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.

$1 million dollars stacked on table seized by U.S. Customs & Border Protection

CBP Seizes $1 Million in Cash at Laredo

The government shut-down prevented CBP from releasing news stories about the cash seizure and customs enforcement activity. Now that the shutdown is over (for now), we have a new story from CBP in Laredo.

In this case, as so often is the case in the cash seizures that occur along the U.S.-Mexico border, this story has the feel of the movement of cash in facilitation of the illegal drug trade.

Isn’t there something suspicious about a 20 year-old woman driving a 9 year old car that has 53 bundles of cash in it? Yes, absolutely; it’s improbably. In this case, officers had more to go on than just their own suspicions, because the money was not reported.

Not only was there a failure to report cash to Customs, but the money was likely smuggled (i.e., hidden) because the story implies that to find the cash officers had to use a imaging system scan and an intensive examination (this usually means they ripped off body panels and parts of the vehicle to locate the cash).

LAREDO, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers Juarez-Lincoln Bridge recently seized nearly $1 million in unreported currency hidden within a passenger vehicle during an outbound examination.

The seizure occurred on Friday, Jan. 25 at Juarez-Lincoln Bridge when a CBP officer conducting outbound examinations selected a 2010 Nissan Maxima driven by a 20-year-old female U.S. citizen for examination. After initial inspection utilizing a non-intrusive imaging systems scan, CBP officers conducted an intensive physical examination and discovered 53 bundles containing a total of $988,550 in unreported currency hidden within the vehicle. 

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

Has Laredo CBP seized your cash?

If CBP in Laredo has seized your cash, you need a lawyer. Read 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.