BREAKING NEWS:
AMERICA’S Custom and Border Control Seizes NIGERIAN Man’s Unreported of over $11,000 CASH in Baltimore….On Departing Private Aircraft to London
* ‘We identified a man with previous federal currency reporting violations’-CBP
* ‘This man also failed to report any currency on this trip nor did he complete a financial reporting form as required by law’
* ‘CBP officers conducted a compliance examination and discovered $11,647 in U.S. dollars, British pounds and Euros. CBP officers seized all the currency’
** ‘Why CBP officers released him to continue his travel after officers completed the currency seizure’
* “Chartering a private flight does not alleviate travelers from the responsibility of complying with applicable U.S. laws and regulations, including federal currency reporting requirements”-Dianna Bowman, CBP Area Port Director for the Area Port of Baltimore
BY GEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU/FOREIGN BUREAU CHIEF, UNITED STATES
A NIGERIAN MAN (names withheld) on a private flight to United States with unreported cash of $11,647 in U.S. dollars, British pounds and Euros was made to undergo compliance of America’s laws on financial reporting as required by law. Upon close monitoring and thorough search, a whooping sum of over $11,000 discovered from him in cash was seized, as he was allowed to proceed on his travels to United Kingdom and his name had not been released due to Privacy laws which prohibit Custom and Border Control (CBP) from releasing the traveler’s name since he was not criminally charged.
In a press statement on CBP website, titled: ‘Baltimore CBP Seizes Unreported Currency from Nigerian Man on Departing Private Aircraft’ released on September 26, 2017, it reads: “U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized more than $11,000 in unreported currency from a Nigerian man who departed the United States late Friday night aboard a private aircraft.
“While examining a passenger manifest from the departing flight, CBP officers identified a man with previous federal currency reporting violations. The man also failed to report any currency on this trip nor did he complete a financial reporting form as required by law. CBP officers conducted a compliance examination and discovered $11,647 in U.S. dollars, British pounds and Euros. CBP officers seized all the currency.”
On how much travelers must carry in and out of USA, it states: “Travelers may carry as much currency as they wish into and out of the United States. Federal law requires that travelers must report all U.S. and foreign monetary instruments totaling $10,000 or greater on a U.S. Treasury Department financial form. None of the currency is taxed.
“Chartering a private flight does not alleviate travelers from the responsibility of complying with applicable U.S. laws and regulations, including federal currency reporting requirements,” said Dianna Bowman, CBP Area Port Director for the Area Port of Baltimore. “This seizure should remind all travelers that Customs and Border Protection border security authority covers all departing and arriving international travelers, whether on commercial or private aircraft. It is one way in which CBP contributes to our nation’s security.”
Regarding Privacy laws, CBP admits that “Privacy laws prohibit CBP from releasing the traveler’s name since he was not criminally charged. The traveler was departing for London, England. CBP officers released him to continue his travel after officers completed the currency seizure.
Casey Owen Durst, CBP’s Field Operations Director in Baltimore says: “As the nation’s border security agency, Customs and Border Protection is charged with enforcing hundreds of laws and regulations at our nation’s international ports of entry, the agency’s operational commander in the mid-Atlantic region, CBP plays a critical role in helping to keep our communities safe, and it’s a responsibility that we take very seriously.” Travelers are encouraged to visit CBP’s Travel website to learn more about the CBP admissions process and rules governing travel to and from the U.S.
CBP’s Office of Field Operations
“Almost a million times each day, CBP officers welcome international travelers into the U.S. In screening both foreign visitors and returning U.S. citizens, CBP uses a variety of techniques to intercept narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, prohibited agriculture, and other illicit products, and to assure that global tourism remains safe and strong.
On a typical day, CBP seizes $289,609 in undeclared or illicit currency along our nation’s borders. Learn more about what CBP did during “A Typical Day” in 2016.
CBP’s border security mission is led at ports of entry by CBP officers from the Office of Field Operations. Please visit CBP Ports of Entry to learn more about how CBP’s Office of Field Operations secures our nation’s borders.
