Officers Seize More Than $724,000 in Smuggled Currency in Three Incidents

Nogales, Ariz. - In less than a week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers stopped three currency smuggling attempts at the Nogales port of entry, seizing more than $724,000 in cash.

The first seizure occurred on May 15 at about 7:30 p.m. CBP officers screening traffic going into Mexico as part of southbound operations selected a 2003 GMC Sonoma being driven by a 33-year-old man from Surprise, Ariz., for inspection. During the inspection,

CBP officers discovered anomalies in the spare tire and, upon opening the tire, discovered $400,000 in cash hidden inside.

The second seizure happened on May 24 at a little after 10 a.m., when officers screening traffic leaving the country stopped a 44-year-old man from Culiacan, Mexico, driving a Jeep Cherokee out of the country. During an inspection of the vehicle, officers discovered more than $24,000 hidden in the oil pan of the vehicle.

The third seizure occurred on May 27 at about 7:30 p.m. Officers conducting outbound inspections selected a 2007 Dodge Ram pickup being driven by a 29-year-old man from Tucson, Ariz., for inspection. During a thorough search of the truck, the officers discovered more than $300,000 concealed in the vehicle.

The currency and vehicles were seized and all three men were turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation.