NASSAU, Bahamas—U.S.
Customs and Border Protection officers at the Nassau Preclearance
facility discovered $69,739 in undeclared U.S. currency inside a
traveler’s carry-on and checked luggage. The Royal Bahamas Police Force
took custody of the traveler and the currency.
On Nov. 24, CBP officers encountered a 51-year-old female
U.S. citizen traveling to Fort Myers, Florida. The subject was referred
for a secondary baggage exam after Nassau Airport Authority Security
alerted to a large sum of money inside a piece of checked luggage.
During the baggage exam, CBP officers discovered several envelopes
addressed to multiple people containing U.S. currency. The subject only
reported $900 on her declaration and when questioned reaffirmed to CBP
officers that she was traveling with less than $10,000. The traveler
failed to formally report the money to CBP resulting in the seizure of
the currency.
“This seizure is an excellent example of the cooperative
working relationship U.S. Customs and Border Protection has with Nassau
Airport Authority Security, who notified CBP of an anomaly in a bag,”
said Robert Allen Smith, area port director for Nassau Preclearance.
“CBP officers provided the traveler with multiple opportunities to
accurately report all currency in her possession; however, she failed to
comply with the reporting requirements. The easiest way for travelers
to hold on to their currency is to truthfully report it all to a CBP
officer.”
Individuals are permitted to carry any amount of currency or
monetary instruments into or out of the United States. However, if the
quantity is $10,000 or higher, they must formally report the currency
to CBP. Failure to report may result in seizure of the currency and/or
arrest.
CBP Preclearance operations
allow for advance inspection of passengers and special coordination
with law enforcement upon arrival in the United States. Through
preclearance, the same immigration, customs, and agriculture inspections
of international air passengers performed on arrival in the United
States are instead completed before departure at foreign airports.
Currently, preclearance operations exist at 15 foreign airports in six
different countries, benefitting air passengers, airports, and air
carriers, in the United States and abroad.
To keep our borders secure, every traveler entering and
exiting a CBP port of entry is subject to a CBP inspection. For more
information on CBP’s border security mission at our nation’s ports of
entry, please visit CBP.gov.
