LAREDO, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Laredo Port of Entry this weekend seized over $76,000 in unreported currency hidden within a bus during an outbound examination.
“This was an excellent outbound currency seizure by our frontline officers,” said Port Director Alberto Flores, Laredo Port of Entry. “Unreported currency is often found to be proceeds from illicit activity by transnational criminal organizations. This enforcement action shows CBP’s commitment to disrupting this flow and illustrates CBP’s effort to keep our communities safe.”
The seizure occurred on Saturday, Feb. 24 at the Colombia-Solidarity Bridge when a CBP officer referred a commercial bus bound for Mexico for a secondary examination. Following a canine examination and a nonintrusive inspection system scan, CBP officers discovered a total of $76,185 in unreported currency hidden within the conveyance.
CBP officers seized the currency. Homeland Security Investigations special agents are investigating 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.
Follow the Director of CBP’s Laredo Field Office on Twitter at @DFOLaredo and also U.S. Customs and Border Protection at @CBPSouthTexas for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos.