Nogales, Arizona - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers stopped an illegal exportation of $51,000 while screening traffic going into Mexico.
On Feb. 5 at about 10 p.m., CBP officers were screening traffic going into Mexico as part of southbound operations. The officers selected a Volkswagen Jetta driven by a 25-year-old man from Nogales, Sonora, Mexico for inspection. During the inspection officers discovered that the passenger airbag compartment had been altered. Further inspection revealed a compartment used to smuggle about $51,000 out of United States.
CBP officers seized the currency and the vehicle. The man was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further questioning.
The Office of Field Operations is responsible for securing our borders at the ports of entry. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers' primary mission is anti-terrorism; they screen all people, vehicles, and goods entering the United States, while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel into and out of the United States.
Their mission also includes carrying out traditional border-related responsibilities, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration law, protecting the nation's food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases, and enforcing trade laws.
While anti-terrorism is the primary mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the inspection process at the ports of entry associated with this mission results in impressive numbers of enforcement actions in all categories.