Press Release from US Customs and Border Protection:

Nogales CBP Officers Seize $874,000 in Undeclared Currency over Weekend

NOGALES, Ariz. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers screening outbound travelers for weapons and illicit currency prevented two separate attempts to smuggle large quantities of cash out of the country over the weekend at the Port of Nogales. Officers seized more than $874,000 and arrested two people.

On Saturday, CBP officers conducting outbound enforcement operations at the Dennis DeConcini Port stopped the driver and occupants of a Chevy Traverse for questioning and vehicle inspection. During the inspection officers discovered 26 packages of U.S. currency hidden inside a compartment built into the vehicle’s firewall area. Officers seized the $494,287 in undeclared currency along with the vehicle. The driver, a 38-year-old man from Mexico, was arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation.

On Sunday, CBP officers conducting outbound enforcement operations at the Mariposa Port stopped the driver and occupants of another Chevy SUV for questioning and vehicle inspection.  During the inspection officers discovered 15 packages of U.S. currency hidden inside a compartment built into the vehicle’s firewall area.  Officers seized the $379,863 in undeclared currency along with the vehicle.  The driver, a 51-year-old man from Mexico, was arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation.

“We are committed to hurting the transnational criminal organizations and disrupting their operations,” said Port Director Guadalupe Ramirez. “Stopping smuggling attempts like this and taking the money out of their hands plays a huge role in this.”

Individuals arrested are charged with a criminal complaint, which raises no inference of guilt.  An individual is presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Since launching the Southwest Border Initiative in March 2009, unprecedented shifts in staffing and infrastructure at the Ports of Arizona have brought a higher level of focus and intensity to their operations.  These shifts have resulted in higher narcotics interceptions and tougher outbound enforcement operations yielding record illicit currency, weapons, and wanted felon interceptions.

CBP’s Office of Field Operations is the primary organization within Homeland Security tasked primarily with an anti-terrorism mission at our nation’s ports. OFO officers screen all people, vehicles and goods entering the United States while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. Their mission also includes carrying out border-related responsibilities, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation’s food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.

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