HIDALGO, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Hidalgo International Bridge this week seized more than $79,000 in unreported currency hidden within a vehicle during an outbound examination.
“Our frontline CBP officers utilized their training and experience along with technology in the outbound environment and prevented a significant amount of unreported currency from going south,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry. “These types of bulk cash seizures, often proceeds from illegal activity, deny transnational criminal organizations the ability to profit from their illicit enterprises and exemplify CBP’s ongoing commitment to our priority border security mission.”
The seizure occurred on Monday, Sept. 23 at the Hidalgo International Bridge when a CBP officer referred a southbound 2008 Honda driven by a 58-year-old male Mexican citizen for a secondary examination. Following a thorough examination that included use of a nonintrusive inspection system, CBP officers discovered five packages containing a total of $79,392 in unreported currency hidden within the vehicle.
CBP officers seized the currency. Homeland Security Investigations special agents arrested the driver and initiated a criminal investigation.
It is not a crime to carry more than $10,000, but it is a federal offense not to declare currency or monetary instruments totaling $10,000 or more to a CBP officer upon entry or exit from the U.S. or to conceal it with intent to evade reporting requirements. Failure to declare may result in seizure of the currency and/or arrest. An individual may petition for the return of currency seized by CBP officers, but the petitioner must prove that the source and intended use of the currency was legitimate.
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