Jan. 24 (UPI) — Customs and Border Protection agents have seized nearly $275,000 in undeclared currency at the Matamoros International Bridge Port of Entry.
The money was discovered Friday during a routine outbound inspection of a 2016 GMC driven by a 41-year-old Mexican citizen residing in Brownsville, Texas.
“While in a secondary inspection area, with the aid of a canine unit, CBP officers removed the bulk U.S. currency totaling $274,867 hidden within the vehicle,” reads the text of a press release from the CBP Tuesday.
“It is not a crime to carry more than $10,000, but it is a federal offense not to declare currency or monetary instruments totaling $10,000 or more to a CBP officer upon entry or exit from the U.S. or to conceal it with intent to evade reporting requirements,” reads the text of the press release.
Homeland Security Investigations special agents arrested the driver while CBP officers seized the money and vehicle.