Tag: unreported bulk cash

Piles of cash seized by CBP officers at Philadelphia airport.

$93k Seized by Philly CBP

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on

I’ve had limited time to blog about customs law lately, but there was a large currency seizure out of Philadelphia reported about 2 weeks ago. At $93,000, it is among the largest of the run-of-the-mill failure to report/bulk cash smuggling cases that I’ve seen at the nation’s airport.

Usually, these types of seizures are typically between $10,000 and $40,000, but sometimes larger; therefore, moving $93,000 out of the country likely took customs officers seizing the cash at the airport by surprise.

Here’s the story:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized more than $93,000 from a Qatar-bound family for violating federal currency reporting regulations Tuesday at Philadelphia International Airport.

CBP officers conducted an inspection on departing international passengers and encountered a man, his wife and their five children.  Officers explained the currency reporting regulations to the family and the father reported verbally and in writing that they possessed $12,000.  During the inspection, CBP officers discovered a combined $93,393 concealed on the man’s, the woman’s, and their adult child’s bodies.  CBP officers seized the currency.

CBP officers returned $3,393 to the family and released them to continue their journey.

So this airport seizure involved 7 people — a husband, wife, and 5 children. The phrase “concealed on . . . their . . . bodies” does not bode well for this family. Recall, the consequences a failure to report are less than when the offense involves bulk cash smuggling (i.e., concealing the cash with the intent of avoiding the currency report).

Has Philly CBP seized your cash?

If Philly CBP seized your cash, read our trusted customs money seizure legal guide and contact our customs lawyer for a free cash seizure consultation by clicking the contact buttons on this page.

 

 

U.S. Currency Seized by CBP Wrapped In Rubber Bands and Black Plastic on a Table

Unreported Bulk Cash of $112k Seized by CBP

Posted by Jason P. Wapiennik on

Nearly $112,000 in unreported bulk cash was seized by U.S. Customs (CBP) officers from a U.S. citizen heading into Mexico last week. In its news releases CBP almost always calls the seized cash “unreported” or “undeclared” even when its apparently hidden for the purpose of evading the requirement to report more than $10,000 in cash to Customs. But this news release correctly calls it unreported bulk cash because it was was found “hidden within the vehicle.”

Unreported bulk cash seized by CBP wrapped in rubber bands and black plastic
Bundles of unreported bulk cash seized by CBP at the Brownsville port of entry wrapped in black plastic

The seizure took place on Wednesday, Dec. 2, when CBP officers working at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge came in contact with a black 2007 Chevy Tahoe as it attempted to exit the United States into Mexico. The driver, a 25-year-old male United States citizen from Brownsville, Texas, was selected for a routine outbound inspection. CBP officers referred the vehicle to secondary for further inspection. During the examination, CBP officers utilized a non-intrusive imaging system and detected anomalies within the vehicle. A physical search of the Chevy Tahoe resulted in the discovery of multiple packages of bulk U.S. currency totaling $111,456 hidden within the vehicle.

This is classic unreported bulk cash smuggling laws, and as we explain in that article on the topic, means that even if legitimate intended source and use of the money are proven, a very high rate of forfeiture will apply; meaning that in the best case scenario the unreported bulk cash smuggler will get 50% of his money back from Customs, and at worst, 0%.

Unreported bulk cash consequences

In unreported bulk cash smuggling cases a person may face criminal charges, or may just face civil forfeiture and civil monetary penalties for the violation. If you have had unreported bulk cash seized by Customs, get your free currency seizure consultation.