U.S. Citizen Busted In The Bahamas With Over US$69,000

News Americas, NASSAU, Bahamas, Weds. Dec. 3, 2014: A 51-year-old U.S. citizen has been busted in Nassau, Bahamas with $69,739 in undeclared U.S. currency inside her carry-on and checked luggage.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Nassau Preclearance facility discovered the money on the female passenger who was then taken into custody by the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

The passenger was traveling to Fort Myers, Florida and was referred for a secondary baggage exam after Nassau Airport Authority Security alerted to a large sum of money inside a piece of checked luggage.

During the baggage exam, CBP officers discovered several envelopes addressed to multiple people containing U.S. currency. The woman only reported $900 on her declaration and when questioned reaffirmed to CBP officers that she was traveling with less than $10,000. The traveler failed to formally report the money to CBP resulting in the seizure of the currency.

“This seizure is an excellent example of the cooperative working relationship U.S. Customs and Border Protection has with Nassau Airport Authority Security, who notified CBP of an anomaly in a bag,” said Robert Allen Smith, area port director for Nassau Preclearance. “CBP officers provided the traveler with multiple opportunities to accurately report all currency in her possession; however, she failed to comply with the reporting requirements. The easiest way for travelers to hold on to their currency is to truthfully report it all to a CBP officer.”

Individuals are permitted to carry any amount of currency or monetary instruments into or out of the United States.  However, if the quantity is $10,000 or higher, they must formally report the currency to CBP. Failure to report may result in seizure of the currency and/or arrest.