Every day, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seizes an average of more than $200,000 in unreported or illicit currency at ports of entry across the country. But that enforcement activity is not evenly distributed. Some ports seize orders of magnitude more than others — driven by the volume of international traffic, the geographic corridor they sit on, and the specific enforcement priorities of the local CBP field office. If you are crossing at one of the ports on this list, your cash is statistically more at risk than at almost anywhere else in the country.
This ranking draws on CBP’s published enforcement statistics, field office annual reports, and CBP press release data. CBP reports currency seizure totals at the field office level rather than individual port level in most public data — where individual port data is available it is noted. The ranking reflects average annual seizure volume based on available multi-year data. If your cash has been seized at any of these ports, visit our customs money seizure legal guide for information on your options.
1. San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan consistently ranks first among all U.S. ports for currency seizure volume — not just by count, but by total dollar value. The combination of Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport and the Port of San Juan creates a dual enforcement environment with no parallel at any other U.S. port. Puerto Rico’s position as a U.S. territory sitting between the continental United States and the Caribbean drug trafficking corridors makes it the primary transit point for bulk cash moving in both directions. CBP and HSI maintain aggressive enforcement operations at both the airport and seaport, and the volume of currency moving through San Juan — legally and illegally — is enormous. The San Juan Field Office has seized more than $500,000 in currency in a single week on multiple documented occasions. Visit our San Juan currency seizure page for more information.
2. Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the highest-volume commercial land port in the United States and the second-highest port for currency seizures nationally. The Laredo Field Office covers eight south Texas ports of entry extending from Brownsville to Del Rio — and in FY 2025 alone, those ports seized $5.4 million in unreported currency alongside massive narcotics and weapons hauls. Laredo’s enforcement posture is almost entirely focused on outbound cash — drug proceeds generated by U.S. drug markets being transported southbound into Mexico to fund cartel operations. The Gateway to the Americas Bridge, the World Trade Bridge, and the Colombia Solidarity Bridge are the primary crossing points where outbound enforcement operations occur daily. The amounts seized at Laredo individual cases regularly run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Visit our Laredo currency seizure page for more information.
3. San Diego, California
The San Diego Field Office covers the busiest land border in the world. San Ysidro alone processes more northbound vehicle and pedestrian crossings than any other land port in the United States. Otay Mesa handles significant commercial freight. Tecate and Calexico add additional crossing volume. The result is a currency enforcement footprint that generates tens of millions of dollars in annual seizures across inbound and outbound operations. Outbound enforcement at San Diego ports focuses on bulk cash moving southbound into Tijuana and Baja California — drug money repatriation on one of the most active drug trafficking corridors in North America. Inbound enforcement catches travelers from Mexico failing to declare currency upon entry. Visit our San Diego currency seizure page for more information.
4. Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the highest-volume currency enforcement port on the northern border and one of the most active in the country overall. The Detroit Field Office covers Detroit Metro Airport, the Ambassador Bridge, the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, and the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron. In a single fiscal year, Detroit has seized as much as $7.8 million in currency — a total that rivals or exceeds many southern border ports in absolute dollar terms. Detroit’s enforcement mix is distinctive: airport seizures from travelers arriving on international flights from Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia account for a significant portion of the total, while land border enforcement at the Ambassador Bridge and Blue Water Bridge adds additional volume. Detroit CBP has been notably transparent about its seizure statistics, publishing annual totals and individual case information regularly. Visit our Detroit currency seizure page for more information.
5. Miami, Florida
Miami International Airport ranks in the top five airports in the United States for federal currency seizures and has generated more than $91 million in currency seizures over a 16-year period according to Institute for Justice research. The Miami Field Office covers MIA, the Port of Miami, Port Everglades, and several smaller Florida ports. Miami’s enforcement profile is driven by its role as the primary gateway for Latin American and Caribbean traffic — outbound cargo to the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Colombia, and Venezuela is a major enforcement focus, alongside inbound passenger enforcement on arriving international flights. The Miami seaport adds significant enforcement volume through cruise ship and cargo operations. Visit our Miami currency seizure page for more information.
6. El Paso, Texas
El Paso’s CBP Field Office has seized $2.7 million in currency in FY 2025 alone, and the port consistently ranks sixth nationally for seizure volume based on multi-year data. The Bridge of the Americas, Ysleta, and several other El Paso crossings handle enormous volumes of northbound and southbound traffic between El Paso and Ciudad Juárez — one of the most active drug trafficking corridors on the entire southwest border. Outbound bulk cash enforcement is a daily operational priority, with CBP and Border Patrol conducting coordinated southbound inspection operations at multiple crossings simultaneously. Vehicle modifications — door panels, floor compartments, fuel tanks — are the most common concealment methods CBP encounters at El Paso ports. Visit our El Paso currency seizure page for more information.
7. Washington Dulles International Airport
Dulles is the most active currency enforcement airport on the East Coast outside of New York and Miami. The Dulles FP&F office is well-staffed and publishes enforcement statistics regularly. The airport handles significant direct traffic from West Africa — Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal — as well as the Middle East, South Asia, and Europe, and outbound enforcement on flights to those destinations is a documented enforcement priority. Dulles has been cited in multiple CBP press releases for currency detection dog operations that consistently find unreported currency on outbound passengers. The airport has been the subject of more currency seizure press releases than almost any other single U.S. airport. Visit our Dulles Airport currency seizure page for more information.
8. New York — JFK International Airport
JFK handles the highest volume of international passengers of any U.S. airport and generates currency seizure enforcement action at a scale commensurate with that volume. The New York Field Office covers JFK and Newark Liberty International Airport, together producing enforcement totals that rank among the highest of any field office nationally. JFK’s direct service to virtually every country in the world makes it a high-risk port for currency seizures in both directions — arriving passengers from cash-economy countries who did not know about the reporting requirement, and departing passengers attempting to move currency to Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia without filing a FinCEN 105. Visit our New York currency seizure page for more information.
9. Hidalgo / McAllen, Texas
The Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas port cluster in the Rio Grande Valley is one of the most active currency enforcement locations on the southwest border. CBP press releases from Hidalgo are among the most frequent of any single port in the country, and the amounts consistently run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars per case. The Hidalgo crossing connects McAllen to Reynosa, Mexico — a city with significant cartel activity — making it a priority outbound enforcement corridor for bulk cash moving south. Vehicle concealment cases at Hidalgo regularly involve $200,000 to $500,000 or more in bundled currency hidden in door panels, floor compartments, and fuel tanks.
10. Philadelphia International Airport
Philadelphia handles significant direct international traffic from the Caribbean, West Africa, and Europe. The Philadelphia FP&F office is active and well-documented in CBP press releases, with a consistent pattern of airport currency seizures from travelers arriving from Jamaica, Nigeria, and European cities. Philadelphia CBP has been notable for its practice of giving travelers multiple documented opportunities to correct their declarations — and for enforcing aggressively when those opportunities are declined. Visit our Philadelphia Airport currency seizure page for more information.
11. Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville and the surrounding ports — including the Gateway International Bridge, the Veterans International Bridge, and the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge — are among the most consistently active outbound currency enforcement locations in south Texas. The Laredo Field Office covers Brownsville, and enforcement statistics from those crossings appear regularly in CBP press releases documenting six-figure outbound bulk cash seizures. Vehicle concealment is the dominant method at Brownsville crossings, with canine units and imaging technology deployed on routine outbound operations. Visit our Brownsville currency seizure page for more information.
12. Nogales / Tucson, Arizona
The Tucson Field Office covers the Nogales crossings — the primary land border between southern Arizona and the Mexican state of Sonora. Nogales is one of the most active outbound currency enforcement corridors in Arizona, with regular seizures involving hundreds of thousands of dollars in bulk cash concealed in vehicles and on persons attempting to cross southbound. The combination of significant cross-border traffic and well-documented cartel activity in Sonora makes Nogales a priority outbound enforcement port. Visit our Tucson currency seizure page for more information.
13. Chicago O’Hare International Airport
O’Hare is one of the busiest international airports in the United States and handles significant direct traffic from South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. CBP conducts both inbound and outbound currency enforcement at O’Hare, and the Chicago Field Office generates consistent seizure activity across both directions. Outbound enforcement on flights to Pakistan, India, West Africa, and the Caribbean is an identified enforcement priority. The O’Hare seizure documented in our earlier article — $125,849 hidden in magazines, photo albums, and children’s clothing — illustrates the level of preparation some travelers bring to outbound enforcement evasion at this port. Visit our Chicago O’Hare currency seizure page for more information.
14. Los Angeles International Airport
LAX handles the largest volume of international passengers on the West Coast and is a major gateway for traffic from Asia, the Pacific, and Latin America. The LA/Long Beach seaport complex — also under the Los Angeles Field Office — adds significant cargo enforcement volume on top of the airport operations. Currency seizures at LAX tend to involve arriving passengers from Asia and Latin America who failed to declare currency upon entry. The Los Angeles seaport generates some of the largest counterfeit goods seizures in the country, alongside regular currency enforcement in incoming cargo. Visit our Los Angeles Airport currency seizure page for more information.
15. Baltimore Washington International Airport
BWI handles significant direct traffic from West Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe, and the Baltimore CBP office generates consistent currency seizure enforcement activity at the airport. Multiple cases from BWI are documented in our case archive — Nigerian travelers arriving from London, Ghanaian travelers, and others who failed to declare currency upon return to the United States. The Baltimore port director’s statements in those cases reflect an enforcement culture that emphasizes the multiple-opportunity warning process before seizure — and that seizes consistently when those opportunities are declined.
16. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
Minneapolis-St. Paul handles significant direct traffic from East Africa — particularly from Somalia, Ethiopia, and other countries in the Horn of Africa — as well as direct service from Europe and Asia. The East African community in the Twin Cities is substantial, and travelers sending money to family members abroad who carry cash rather than using wire transfer services are a documented enforcement demographic at MSP. CBP press releases from Minneapolis document a consistent pattern of currency seizures from travelers bound for East African destinations. Visit our Minneapolis Airport currency seizure page for more information.
17. Houston, Texas
Houston’s international airports — George Bush Intercontinental and Hobby — handle significant traffic from Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East, and CBP enforcement at both generates regular currency seizure activity. The Houston area’s large immigrant communities from Mexico, Central America, and South America create a consistent population of travelers carrying cash for legitimate family support purposes who may not be aware of the reporting requirement. Visit our Houston currency seizure page for more information.
18. San Francisco International Airport
SFO is a primary gateway for Asia-Pacific traffic and handles significant direct service from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Currency seizures at SFO tend to involve arriving passengers from Asian countries where cash is a common medium for large transactions and where knowledge of U.S. reporting requirements is limited. The Bay Area’s substantial Chinese-American community and the volume of direct service from mainland China make SFO a consistent currency enforcement location for the San Francisco Field Office. Visit our San Francisco Airport currency seizure page for more information.
19. Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty handles significant international traffic including direct service from West Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe, and falls under the New York Field Office’s enforcement jurisdiction alongside JFK. Newark’s proximity to New York City’s large immigrant communities from Nigeria, Ghana, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic creates a consistent enforcement demographic for currency seizure operations. The combined enforcement activity of JFK and Newark under a single field office makes the New York area one of the highest-volume enforcement regions in the country. Visit our Newark Airport currency seizure page for more information.
20. Buffalo, New York
Buffalo rounds out the top 20 as the most active northern border land crossing for currency enforcement. The Peace Bridge and Rainbow Bridge connect western New York to Ontario, Canada, and the Buffalo Field Office generates consistent currency seizure activity on both inbound and outbound crossings. In FY 2014, Buffalo recorded 22 currency seizures totaling $267,323 — modest compared to southern border totals but significant for a northern border crossing. The average seizure amount at Buffalo of approximately $12,100 reflects the predominantly traveler-level enforcement — individuals carrying amounts modestly above the threshold without the required FinCEN 105 — rather than the large-scale bulk cash smuggling operations that drive southern border totals. Visit our Buffalo currency seizure page for more information.
What These Rankings Mean for Travelers
Being on this list does not mean every traveler at these ports faces a seizure risk. The vast majority of international travelers cross without incident. What the rankings reflect is the concentration of enforcement resources, the volume of international traffic, and the geographic factors that make certain ports consistent targets for currency enforcement activity.
The one thing that eliminates your risk at every port on this list is the same: file an accurate FinCEN 105 if you are carrying more than $10,000 in currency or monetary instruments when entering or leaving the United States. The form is free, takes minutes, and is available from any CBP officer at any port of entry. No CBP officer can legally seize currency that has been accurately declared — the reporting requirement is the line between a lawful crossing and a forfeiture.
If your cash has already been seized at any of these ports, the clock is already running. Read our customs money seizure legal guide and our guide on what not to do after a seizure. See our currency seizure case outcomes. Call us at (734) 855-4999, send a text message, or reach us on WhatsApp. You can also contact us online for a free consultation.