$3.6M in Counterfeit Cash Seized at Canadian Border Crossing

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working a Canadian crossing in North Dakota seized $36,000 in fake U.S. currency.

CBP officers assigned to the Pembina Port of Entry on Wednesday observed a tractor-trailer approaching the station for entry into the United States from Canada. The driver presented a manifest indicating a load of toy guns, according to information obtained from CBP officials.

The officers referred the driver to a secondary inspection station in the commercial cargo area. During a cargo inspection, officers found nine toy guns and what appeared to be 36,000 U.S. $100 bills.

The officers inspected the bills and determined they were counterfeit. Officials destroyed the fake bills.

“Our officers work extremely hard to protect the United States from a variety of threats,” Pembina Area Port Director Jason Schmelz said in a written statement. “Working with other federal partners, CBP officers were able to keep this counterfeit currency from entering into the economy. To have such a significant seizure on the 19th anniversary of 9/11, shows the commitment all of our officers have, not only today but every single day they come to work in order to keep our country safe from all threats.”

Reports obtained from CBP did not disclose how much counterfeit currency was seized during this fiscal year. However, CBP officers working ports of entry around the country seized $93,302,645 in unreported currency during the first 11 months of Fiscal Year 2020, Breitbart Texas’ Jaeson Jones reported. This is up substantially from the totals of each of the previous five years.

During FY 2019, which ended on September 30, 2019, CBP officers seized $68,879,080 in U.S. currency. The FY 2020 seizures represent an increase of 35 percent.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.