U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers confiscated $44,000 from a passenger at Philadelphia International Airport after a K-9 was able to sniff out the "unreported currency."
On April 30, K-9 Nitro, a chocolate lab trained to detect bulk currency, alerted on a 54-year-old man traveling to Mexico, according to CBP.
Officials said travelers carrying over $10,000 in currency must report it to the U.S. Treasury on a U.S. Treasury Department Report of International Transportation of Currency or Monetary Instruments form, known as FinCEN 105.
Officers said they had advised the traveler of federal currency reporting laws and asked how much currency he possessed. The man allegedly declared verbally and in writing that he had $10,000.
The man had money in his pockets, in separate envelopes, and inside his carry-on bag totaling $44,690.
Officers said they returned $240 to the traveler "for humanitarian purposes" and released him. The man is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Peru, CBP noted.
