Crime & Safety
US Customs Officials Seize More Than $46K In Currency At DC Airport
US Customs officers seized more than $46,000 in two separate currency confiscations over the past 10 days from travelers at Dulles Airport.
DULLES, VA — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized more than $46,000 in two separate currency confiscations over the past 10 days from travelers leaving the country from Washington Dulles International Airport, the agency said Thursday.
In the most recent case, CBP officers inspected a U.S. citizen traveling to Ghana on Sunday. The man initially reported, both verbally and in writing, that he possessed $14,000.
However, officers found a total of $19,904 in his carry-on bag, and an additional $500 in his backpack for a total of $20,404. Officers seized the currency, returned $404 to the man as humanitarian relief, and released him to continue his travels.
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On April 26, a CBP currency detector dog was alerted to a couple’s carry-on bags and the couple, who were traveling to Egypt and reported that they possessed $15,000. During an examination, CBP officers discovered additional currency in the woman’s purse and even more concealed inside a suitcase liner for a total of $26,043, CPB said.
CBP officers seized the currency, then returned $1,043 as a humanitarian relief and released the couple to continue their travels.
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“We cannot make this point enough, travelers can carry all the currency they want to and from the United States, but U.S. federal law requires them to make a formal report on amounts of $10,000 or greater. It’s that simple,” Daniel Escobedo, CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area Port of Washington, D.C., said in a statement Thursday.
CBP did not release the travelers’ names because none were criminally charged.
There is no limit to how much currency that travelers may bring to or take out of the United States. However, federal law requires travelers to report all currency of $10,000 or greater to a CBP officer, and travelers will need to complete a U.S. Treasury Department Report of International Transportation of Currency or Monetary Instruments.
Travelers are encouraged to complete the fillable FINCEN 105 form prior to a CBP arrivals or departure inspection.
CBP seized an average of about $342,000 in unreported or illicit currency along the nation’s borders on a daily basis in 2021.
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