$102K Seized By Customs Officials At Washington Dulles Airport

DULLES,VA — Customs officials at Washington Dulles International Airport seized almost $102,000 Saturday from a traveler arriving from Addis Abada, Ethiopia, according to a release.

During a secondary examination by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, the traveler, who is a French citizen and a Cameroon resident, submitted an inaccurate travel authorization. He also declared that he possessed $2,000, as well as agriculture products.

Before CBP began searching the traveler's baggage, he admitted possessing $2,300. CBP officers found a plastic bag with bundles of cash, which the man said amounted to about $100,000. The bag contained $100,050 in U.S. currency and 1,600 Euros, which converted to $1,945 in U.S. dollars.

After seizing the undeclared currency, CBP gave the traveler $1,995 for humanitarian purposes. As a Visa Waiver Program violator, the man was determined to be ineligible for admittance into the U.S. and placed on the next flight to Ethiopia. Since the traveler was not charged with any crimes, CBP did not release his name.

Examining the traveler's baggage, CBP agriculture specialists found prohibited plums, eru, and mangos, which they seized and later destroyed.

“Customs and Border Protection officers are always on the alert for travelers who deliberately violate our nation’s currency reporting laws and carry large amounts of unreported currency to or from the United States,” said Keith Fleming, acting director of Field Operations for CBP’s Baltimore Field Office, in a release. “We have observed that bulk currency loads like this are often proceeds from illicit activities, including financial fraud and narcotics smuggling, and seizing unreported currency disrupts transnational criminal organizations.”

Travelers have no limit on how much currency they can carry across U.S. borders. However, amounts in excess of $10,000 must be reported to a CBP officer at all U.S. border crossings. Last year, CBP seized approximately $386,000 daily in illicit or unreported currency.