U.S Customs and Border Protection officers have seized over $100,000 at the Washington Dulles International Airport from travelers heading to Ghana and other places.
The operation, officials told DailyMailGH.com, lasted for about two weeks and concerned those failing to declare specific amount on them.
Dulles International Airport officials also said the two-week operation also caught in the web travelers flying to Pakistan and Turkey.
Carrying large amounts of currency into or out of the United States is legal, the CBP said in a press statement to DailyMailGH.com, but anyone who has $10,000 or more in currency or other monetary instruments must report it all to a CBP officer at the airport, seaport, or land border crossing.
The Turkey couple told CBP officers they had $5,000 in currency Thursday night. After the officers told them about the federal reporting requirements, the couple said they understood and again reported $5,000.
When Cato, a currency and firearms detector dog, alerted officers to the couple’s bags, a total of $20,654 was discovered. Officers returned $654 to the couple for “humanitarian relief” and seized $20,000.
A couple headed to Ghana on Saturday reported verbally and in writing that they had $36,000. But officers found a total of $40,781. Officers returned $781 to the couple for “humanitarian relief” and seized $40,000.
On December 6, CBP officers seized $21,000 from a woman traveling to Pakistan. On November 30, officers seized $25,151 from a couple on their way to Ghana.
“Customs and Border Protection wants travelers to understand and to comply with our nation’s currency reporting requirements, and those who choose not to comply face serious consequences, such as in these seizures,” said Casey Durst, Director of Field Operations for CBP’s Baltimore Field Office.
The CBP seizes an average of $290,000 per day in unreported or illicit currency, according to WJLA.
Source: Daily Mail GH