Philadelphia CBP officers, K9 Nitro seize $19k in unreported currency from couple traveling to the Dominican Republic

PHILADELPHIA – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized $19,000 in unreported currency after a CBP detector dog alerted to passengers boarding a flight to the Dominican Republic on Monday.

Currency detector dog Nitro alerted to two travelers and CBP officers seized $19,000 in unreported currency.

Nitro, a 3-year-old male chocolate Labrador retriever trained to identify bulk currency, alerted to two travelers attempting to separately board a flight to Santo Domingo, D.R. When asked how much currency they possessed, a 63-year-old woman declared $9,000 and a 79-year-old man declared $5,000.

CBP officers escorted the pair to CBP’s inspection station. Despite initially claiming they were not traveling together, the pair possessed matching luggage and later admitted to traveling together.

CBP officers discovered a total of $19,681. Officers remitted $681 to the couple for humanitarian purposes and seized the remaining $19,000. Officers released the travelers.

“This couple attempted to evade federal currency reporting laws by structuring their currency and claiming to be traveling separately, but a keen canine and observant officers easily detected the currency and broke their story,” said Acting Area Port Director Elliott Ortiz, CBP’s Area Port of Philadelphia. “Customs and Border Protection urges travelers to truthfully report all currency they possess to a CBP officer during inspection or face severe consequences as these travelers learned.”

Travelers may carry any amount of currency they want, but amounts exceeding $10,000 must be reported to the U.S. Treasury on via FinCEN 105. The FinCEN 105 form is available at https://fincen105.cbp.dhs.gov and can be completed online prior to arriving at the airport departure gate. Travelers may also request assistance from CBP officers at the departure gate.

Failure to comply with federal currency reporting laws may result in seizure, missed flights, and potential criminal prosecution for bulk currency smuggling.

During fiscal year 2025, CBP officers and agents seized an average of about $180,000 in unreported or illicit currency daily.

CBP's border security mission is led at our nation’s Ports of Entry by CBP officers and agriculture specialists from the Office of Field Operations. CBP screens international travelers and cargo for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, and other prohibited items that threaten public safety and our nation’s economic vitality.

Learn more at www.CBP.gov.

Follow the Director of CBP’s Baltimore Field Office on X @DFOBaltimore and CBP’s Office of Field Operations on Instagram @cbpfieldops.

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