CBP Air and Marine Operations (AMO) crews teamed up with other law enforcement agencies to interdict a boat traveling from the U.S. to the Bahamas with unreported currency onboard.
AMO’s Miami Marine Unit and Miami Air and Marine Branch agents took action on January 24 to stop a vessel headed to the Bahamas for an outbound inspection, according to information obtained from U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials.
After stopping the vessel, agents coordinated with ICE Homeland Security Investigations and Drug Enforcement Administration special agents. During a search of the watercraft, a K-9 alerted to an odor it is trained to detect in the center console.
Agents conducted a physical search of the console, cooler, and laundry detergent boxes and found bundles of cash, officials stated.
The agents counted the undeclared U.S. currency and reported the seizure of approximately $500,000.
“Air and Marine Operations works closely with law enforcement partners to provide unparalleled domain awareness in the air and maritime environments,” said Tony Arevalo, Director, Air and Marine Operation, Miami Air and Marine Branch. “Nefarious actors often seek to conceal and move currency from their activities.”
Ten days earlier, an AMO Coastal Interceptor Vessel crew from St. Thomas teamed up with local law enforcement to interdict another vessel near Culebra.
A search of that vessel led to the discovery of an additional $316,930 in undeclared currency.
Officials seized the boats and the more than $800,000 in cash.
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 Sunday-morning talk show, What’s Your Point? Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX, Parler @BobPrice, and Facebook.