Border Search Yields More Than $750,000 in Cash Concealed in Tire

Border officers at a nearby Port of Entry intercepted $756,980 in unreported currency hidden in a vehicle during a recent search, officials said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers performing outbound operations at the

Calexico East Port of Entry just after 4 p.m. July 10 encountered a 35-year-old man driving a 2024 pickup truck traveling southbound into Mexico.

The officers referred the driver and the vehicle for a secondary examination that included use of non-intrusive inspection technology, and discovered a total of $756,980 in unreported currency hidden within the spare tire.

Homeland Security Investigations special agents initiated a criminal investigation after seizure of the currency.

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.

Failure to declare may result in seizure of the currency and/or arrest. An individual may petition for the return of currency, but the petitioner must prove that the source and intended use of the currency was legitimate.