Nearly $300,000 Seized At Bridge Of The Americas
EL PASO, Texas — Federal agents seized nearly $300,000 that was headed to Mexico at the Bridge of the Americas, Customs and Border Protection officials said. The cash was concealed in a spare tire.
CBP officers were working with an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement task force during the seizure about 11 p.m. Tuesday. Officials said 26-year-old Gualberta Rivera-Carrasco of Garland, Texas, drove a 2006 Chevrolet pickup to the bridge and did not declare anything.
Officers intitiated an inspection and conducted an X-ray scan of the spare tire. The officers found 26 bundles of U.S. currency wrapped in black tape.
Rivera-Carrasco and his passenger, 22-year-old Julio Rivera-Carrasco of Durango, Mexico, were arrested by ICE special agents. Both remain at the El Paso County Detention Facility.
While it is not illegal to transport currency into or out of the U.S., if the quantity of currency is $10,000 or more, it’s required that the currency be reported to CBP.
An individual can ask for the return of currency seized by CBP officers, but he or she must prove that the source and intended use of the currency was legitimate.
