U.S. Customs Seizes $28k Outbound to Mexico

A relatively small amount of currency was seized from a Mexican couple leaving the United States last week at the southern border. The story, which comes to us from a CBP news release, makes no mention of arrest of the couple so it’s a fair assumption that there was no arrest.

$28k Currency Seizure
$28k Currency Seizure

Shortly before 8 a.m. on March 10, the Eagle Pass Enforcement Team – comprised of CBP officers from the Port of Entry and U.S. Border Patrol agents – inspected a 2002 Ford F-150 pickup truck as it departed the United States, bound for Mexico, via the Eagle Pass International Bridge I. Upon inspecting the pickup, which was occupied by a man and woman from Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, Enforcement Team officers discovered a large quantity of one-hundred dollar bills. Officers seized a total of $28,100 in undeclared currency.

What happens to the seized currency now? Well, it will be forfeited and become property of the U.S. government unless a person with an interest in the property makes an offer in compromise, files a claim, or files a petition with CBP’s Fines, Penalties & Forfeitures office to get the money back. The money can only be returned once a legitimate source and intended use of the money is proven. In most of our client cases, we file a petition. If you want to know what a petition for return of seized currency should include, read our article on Filing a Petition for Seized Currency.

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:

  1. Seizure of currency and monetary instruments by U.S. Customs
  2. Seizure for bulk cash smuggling into or out of the U.S.
  3. Structuring currency imports and exports
  4. Is it $10,000 per person?  Under what circumstances is filing a report with Customs for transporting more than $10,000 required?
  5. Criminal & civil penalties for failing to report monetary instrument transportation
  6. Is only cash currency subject to seizure by Customs?
  7. Responding to a Customs currency seizure
  8. How do I get my seized money back?
  9. Getting money seized by U.S. Customs back while staying overseas
  10. How long does it take Customs to decide a petition for a currency/monetary instrument seizure?
  11. Statute of Limitations for Currency Reporting Violations
  12. Filing a Petition for Seized Currency (with Sample and Tips) with CBP