LEWISTON, N.Y. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Lewiston Bridge seized $207,500 in unreported currency.
On July 15, CBP officers inspected a tractor trailer during an outbound inspection that was driven by a 28-year-old male who is a citizen of Canada. The driver claimed he was transporting a shipment of copper wire that he was hauling from Massachusetts and destined to Mississauga, Ontario. During questioning, the driver claimed to be traveling with $300 in U.S. currency. A CBP K9 alerted to the presence of narcotics during an inspection of the cab portion of the truck. A further inspection revealed a plastic shopping bag that contained multiple bundles of U.S. currency in ten large vacuum sealed bags. Subsequently, the currency was inventoried and determined to be a total of $207,500.
“Our CBP officers remain focused on enforcement amidst the continued border restrictions,” said Port Director Jennifer De La O. “They identified an individual and conveyance that needed further inspection, they coordinated with our partners at Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and they ensured that this criminal activity was disrupted.”
Federal prosecution of the driver was accepted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and he was subsequently charged in a criminal complaint for bulk cash smuggling.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
For more information on CBP’s currency reporting requirement, please visit the CBP.gov and FinCen.gov websites.
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