BROWNSVILLE, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Gateway International Bridge in Brownsville, Texas arrested a local woman after discovering $82,077 in unreported U.S. currency concealed within the Cadillac she was driving.
“This discovery of unreported U.S. currency, although not as large as two recent bulk cash seizures, is still significant in CBP’s efforts to foil the exchange of monetary gains from alleged illicit activities,” said Port Director Petra Horne, Brownsville Port of Entry.
On Dec. 14, CBP officers working outbound operations at the Gateway International Bridge selected a white 1999 Cadillac Escalade for a secondary inspection. The driver, a 31-year-old female U.S. citizen from Brownsville, was arrested after officers discovered packages containing unreported U.S. currency concealed within the Escalade. Officers removed and seized three packages that contained the U.S. currency which was allegedly was being taken into Mexico without being properly reported.
After CBP Field Operations arrested the adult female, she was turned over to agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for further 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.
CBP’s Brownsville Port of Entry is part of the South Texas Campaign, which leverages federal, state and local resources to combat transnational criminal organizations.