ROMA, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers intercepted over $200,000 in undeclared currency in one enforcement action at the Falcon Dam International Crossing.
“CBP conducts outbound enforcement operations to protect against unreported exportations of bulk U.S. currency, which often can be proceeds from alleged illicit activity, or currency that funds transnational criminal organizations,” said Port Director Andres Guerra, Roma Port of Entry. “This currency seizure exemplifies our commitment to enforcing U.S. laws and federal currency reporting requirements.”
The seizure occurred on Saturday, Oct. 10 at the Falcon Dam International Crossing when a CBP officer referred a 2018 Mercedes Benz driven by a 43-year-old female U.S. citizen for a secondary inspection. The woman was accompanied by a 32-year-old male citizen of Venezuela who resides in the United States and a 19-year-old female U.S. citizen. Upon inspection of the occupants’ belongings, a total of $223,988 in undeclared currency were discovered.
The currency was seized by CBP. The three subjects were arrested, and the case was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) special agents for further investigation.
Individuals are permitted to carry any amount of currency or monetary instruments into or out of the U.S., however, if the quantity is more than $10,000, they will need to report it to CBP. “Money” means monetary instruments and includes U.S. or foreign coins currently in circulation, currency, travelers’ checks in any form, money orders, and negotiable instruments or investment securities in bearer form. Failure to declare may result in seizure of the currency and/or arrest.
For more information about CBP, please click on the attached link.
Follow the Director of CBP’s Laredo Field Office on Twitter at @DFOLaredo and on Instagram at @dfolaredo for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation’s borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with securing the borders of the United States while enforcing hundreds of laws and facilitating lawful trade and travel.