PHILADELPHIA — It’s safe to say a traveler overpacked for a recent international flight to the airport here.
The traveler, identified only as a resident of Columbus, Ohio, was chosen at random for a secondary inspection after arriving on a July 7 flight from Lebanon via Paris, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
During the examination, the passenger acknowledged that he understood U.S. currency-reporting law, which requires travelers to report all cash of $10,000 or greater.
He then declared verbally and in writing that he had $15,000, according to a CBP account.
But officers searched the man’s bags and found $36,834.
They seized the entire amount for violating the currency-reporting law, but returned $834 as “humanitarian relief,” the CPB statement said.
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The traveler then resumed his trip, with his assets considerably lighter.
“There is no limit to how much currency or other monetary instruments travelers may bring to or take out of the United States,” the statement noted.
But besides reporting amounts of $10,000 or more, travelers must complete a Treasury Department report, the agency said.
“The easiest way to keep your money is to truthfully report it all to a CBP officer,” said Adam Streetman, a CBP official.
Most travelers “are 100 percent honest with us,” said Streetman. “But sometimes we encounter travelers who disregard our nation’s laws and get to experience how severe the consequences can be.”
The agency noted unreported cash can be the proceeds of illegal activity, “such as financial fraud and money scams.”
When seizing a traveler’s cash, officers advise travelers how they can petition for their money, according to a CBP representative.
“The petitioner must prove that the source and intended use of the currency was legitimate,” the representative added.
Seized or illicit money — an average of about $183,000 daily last year — is turned over to the Treasury.
The CBP also noted travelers, like the man at Philadelphia International Airport, “risk other consequences, such as missing their departure or connecting flight, interrupting vacation plans, or facing potential criminal prosecution.”
The CBP did not identify the man stopped at Philadelphia International Airport, noting he was not charged with any crime.
Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@cpsj.com.
