EAGLE PASS, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations officers assigned to Eagle Pass Port of Entry seized over $71,000 in a single enforcement action.
“This enforcement action illustrates CBP’s ongoing commitment to our priority border security mission,” said Port Director Pete Beattie, Eagle Pass Port of Entry. “The seizure of unreported currency, which is often proceeds of illicit endeavors, denies the profitmaking from such activity.”
The seizure occurred on June 16 at Camino Real International Bridge when CBP officers referred a 2023 Ford Lobo for secondary examination. Upon further examination, officers discovered $71,461 in unreported U.S. currency and 90,000 Mexican pesos within two backpacks located the center console.
CBP seized the currency along with the vehicle. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents initiated a criminal investigation into the seizure.
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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