Houston Airport Customs Confiscates Gold, Silver, Cash

[cedarchopper]

Who the fuk knew you had to declare $2500 worth of gold or silver when leaving the country or risk confiscation? I didn't.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/archives/may_2010/05312010_2.xml

Houston CBP Confiscates Silver, Gold, Cash

(Monday, May 31, 2010)

contacts for this news release

Houston — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston, seized $253,294 in cash and $159,382 in gold and silver in 14 separate seizures during May.



CBP Officers seized $159,382 in gold and silver in 14 separate incidents during May at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport.



“Customs and Border Protection is charged with enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws,” said Jeffrey O. Baldwin, Sr., CBP Houston field operations director. “In this instance, the law requires anyone traveling to or from the U.S. carrying monetary instruments exceeding $10,000 declare that amount. When travelers fail to do that, they run the risk of having that currency or monetary instruments seized.”

In nine separate instances, CBP officers seized currency from travelers departing the U.S. without declaring actual amounts even when asked directly. Officers discovered undeclared currency stuffed in envelopes, in pockets or carry-on bags and, in one instance, the currency was sewn into the traveler’s boxer shorts.

Officers seized one bar of gold, two silver bullion bars and three bottles of gold nuggets because travelers failed to file a shipper’s export declaration. This automated declaration is required when transporting a commodity out of the country valued at least $2,500. Failure to file a shipper’s export declaration can result in the commodity’s seizure.

According to the Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Network, there is no limit to the amount of currency a traveler can bring into or take out of the country as long as any amount exceeding $10,000 is filed with CBP.

Seized currency is turned over to CBP’s Fines, Penalties and Forfeitures division while Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigates to determine if criminal proceedings are warranted. All seized currency not related to a criminal case will be forward to the Department of Treasury.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

[mamboni]

The War on Terror has nothing to do with terror and everything to do with capital controls. Look at today's market with the dollar collapsing a full 1% in a single day while silver and gold continue to rise day after day. We are entering the final stages of the collapse of the paper money debt-based ponzi system and with it the US economy.

[Ares]

What I was thinking too Mamboni, nothing more than Capitol controls.

[cedarchopper]

The War on Terror has nothing to do with terror and everything to do with capital controls. Look at today's market with the dollar collapsing a full 1% in a single day while silver and gold continue to rise day after day. We are entering the final stages of the collapse of the paper money debt-based ponzi system and with it the US economy.


Capital controls and a domestic surveillance net.

[Ponce]

Those of you who can do so, trade your fiat for foreign currency......you can always use it or trade it back to the fiat...........as long as you do it in small ammounts, you don't want to alert the power to be.

One more time........loose coins will become more valuable than the paper fiat.......and I am not talking of only the silver coins but also of the everyday coins that we now have.......specially the nickel......even if I have tons of pennies I am still thinking about them.

[FunnyMoney]

One more time........loose coins will become more valuable than the paper fiat.......and I am not talking of only the silver coins but also of the everyday coins that we now have.......specially the nickel......even if I have tons of pennies I am still thinking about them.


I agree, I think if you have a few thousand dollars as a safety net in a bank account it would probably be better to have only half or a third of that in cash and the rest in boxes of nickels stored at your home.

Things are indeed getting pretty scary. We saw the destruction of GIM1 and even the MSM is slowing letting the word out that the status quo financial systems are either standing on the edge of a cliff or have already jumped.

If we see silver and gold continue to go up at the same pace in oct and nov., more severe capital controls might get introduced soon.

[uranian]

and another reason to own coins, rather than bars. a decent sized amount of cash can fit in a wallet and raise no alarm. or a reason to take ferries instead, i recall driving a beat-up 69 merc motorhome all over europe for months with a generous amount of silver stashed in the door panels and gold in the foot wells. i think the van itself was worth less than a kruger!

[Hatha Sunahara]

Ponce-- Why do you think it's a good idea to hold foreign currency? When you look at the increase in gold and silver prices, you can tell that all fiat money everywhere is going down the toilet. When you look at the dollar losing value, it is expressed in its relationship to other currencies who are also losing value, so the dollar leads the pack on the trip down into the toilet. But the foreign currency is just going to the same place only slower. I'm not buying foreign currency.


Hatha

[Ponce]

Hatha? simple, I believe that the US currency will be THE ONLY ONE that will not recover......if you see at what is going on you might have noticed that those countries that got rid of their dollars first are already making a recovery.........I hold Canadians dollars because they have oil, gas, cattle, food, minerals and so on, they are not as deep in the hole as we are.

But of course my silve and gold is my main course and physical currency the icing on the cake.

[gunDriller]

The War on Terror has nothing to do with terror and everything to do with capital controls. Look at today's market with the dollar collapsing a full 1% in a single day while silver and gold continue to rise day after day. We are entering the final stages of the collapse of the paper money debt-based ponzi system and with it the US economy.


i agree, mostly.

i have to wonder if the rise (re-rise ?) of silver & gold as monetary instruments in the US consitutes a form of healing for the US economy.

of course, healing can be painful.

also, as people learn about the mortgage crisis, the message gets hammered home - "you can't trust American banks & financial services companies - or the Fed - or the US government". and people are better off knowing that, although the knowledge may come at a hefty cost, e.g. loss of their life savings.

[Horn]

Who the fuk knew you had to declare $2500 worth of gold or silver when leaving the country or risk confiscation? I didn't.


I got it out just in time.

Yeah, I thought it was $10,000 last time I checked.

[Horn]

Its all part of those free trade agreements, where nothing is free.

[Awoke]

Hatha? simple, I believe that the US currency will be THE ONLY ONE that will not recover......if you see at what is going on you might have noticed that those countries that got rid of their dollars first are already making a recovery.........I hold Canadians dollars because they have oil, gas, cattle, food, minerals and so on, they are not as deep in the hole as we are.

But of course my silve and gold is my main course and physical currency the icing on the cake.


I believe that if the USD dissolves completely, the entire global currency will be ushered into effect, and all compliant countries will be using a global currency.

The US has their zionist-inspired fingers in every country around the globe, and if they lose their dollar, it will effect the globe like nothing you have ever imagined.

Hold your physical in one hand, and firearms in the other.

[mamboni]

Yeah boys and girls: in America, land of the free and home of the brave, you have to declare 2 (count'm two!) fricking little ounces of gold if you want to leave the county. You need almost $1400 paper dollars to buy one little i ounce gold coin. Yeah, the US dollar is already toilet paper in the eyes of gold. And TPTB have to be really desperate to lower the bar this low to go after what in the real world is a pittance of gold. Even FDR allowed for each family member to hold 4 oz of gold, if memory serves.

In regards to the gold and silver markets: we are entering the fear phase as the smart money is running to gold and silver at long last. The average Joe is still oblivious or too broke to buy any. If the DOW takes a dive any time soon then watch out because it will trigger another wave of PM buying out of fear and greed. In time Sinclair's $1650 will be a quaint memory and a bargain price to be wished for!

[chad]

i agree with awoke. they'll use this to ba! everyone into a new world currency, and it'lll be digital and trackable. debit cards have been warming up the masses for this.

the ultra rich will have ag + au, the masses will have some fake numbers in a computer that can be manipulated, turned off, tracked, etc.

[Horn]

It starts at the border than works its way in thru tax confiscation.

Those penalties charged to early 401k withdrawal will be clipped onto every PM transaction in the future.

[Twisted Titan]

Godbless anybody who wants to travel with hard currency abroad.

You have not only The US but the host country may have draconian laws surrounding that as well.

Im glad I dont fly.

Where a car cant carry me I wont be seeing.


T

[Horn]

The Spanish are getting back their Gold that was stolen from them by the Anglos thru osmosis. ;D

[Ponce]

A war on terror is a war on the American people.......anything else makes no sense.

[zap]

Who the fuk knew you had to declare $2500 worth of gold or silver when leaving the country or risk confiscation? I didn't.


I got it out just in time.

Yeah, I thought it was $10,000 last time I checked.


What if it was in the form of jewelry?

[mick silver]

dam it may get to a point you cant have no more then 10 buck on you before they put you in jail for having to much money . times are getting harder ... thanks everyone for there insight into what on the way ... hold on tight were about to take the ride of ours lives

[k-os]

Who the fuk knew you had to declare $2500 worth of gold or silver when leaving the country or risk confiscation? I didn't.


I got it out just in time.

Yeah, I thought it was $10,000 last time I checked.


It was the last time I checked, too, and I am damn glad I didn't have to put it to the test!

[Horn]

Who the fuk knew you had to declare $2500 worth of gold or silver when leaving the country or risk confiscation? I didn't.


I got it out just in time.

Yeah, I thought it was $10,000 last time I checked.


It was the last time I checked, too, and I am damn glad I didn't have to put it to the test!


When you walk on other parts of the planet with a couple Gold Buffalos.

Its like you're some Jolly Green Giant come down from heaven to put right all the native wrongs.

Of course that wears off when they find out your just a much as cheap bastard as they are. :D

[Book]

Yeah boys and girls: in America, land of the free and home of the brave, you have to declare 2 (count'm two!) fricking little ounces of gold if you want to leave the county.



We now gotta sign a 1099 form if we sell $600 worth of shiny metal to our Dealer. Less than HALF an ounce of the yellow stuff.

How did Bernie Madoff get that "missing" $60 Billion to Tel Aviv with no paper trail ???

???

[Horn]

How did Bernie Madoff get that "missing" $60 Billion to Tel Aviv with no paper trail ???

???

That & the load of gold under the Trade Towers sounds like a job for the R.A.F. http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/entertainment/images/music/raf.gif

[kiffertom]

what about a 50 dollar gold piece? this isnt a commodity. its money. it says 50 dollars. if it was worth more than why didnt they stamp it differently? i always travel with 2 american eagle 50 dollar gold pieces. i can understand bullion but this is money!!

[Silver Rocket Bitches!]

Capital controls are the harbinger of currency doom.

Makes me wanna go fly out of the country with some tungsten covered in gold spray paint.

[madfranks]

what about a 50 dollar gold piece? this isnt a commodity. its money. it says 50 dollars. if it was worth more than why didnt they stamp it differently? i always travel with 2 american eagle 50 dollar gold pieces. i can understand bullion but this is money!!


Try explaining that to the TSA thugs who have been instructed to take it away from you.

For what it's worth, if I was to travel by plane with some gold, I'd get a binder with some vinyl coin flips like this one:

http://www.tradewindssupplies.com/images/TWBinder_VinylPgs_sm.jpg

Then I'd fill it with random coins like old nickels, cents and maybe some foreign junk coins. Every other page or so would be a gold coin, and if asked, it's a simple coin collection with sentimental, but not financial, value.

[Libertarian_Guard]

Part of this story makes NO sense.


"In nine separate instances, CBP officers seized currency from travelers departing the U.S. without declaring actual amounts even when asked directly."

When you fly out of the U.S. you don't even see these people. You don't even get the form untill the plane is in the air. None of this happens at the U.S. departure gate way.

Other than airline personel checking for an up to date passport ( with possibly an extra 6 months still on it, for arrival in some countries ) and paying your departure tax ( in some countries ) you pass through security and away you go.

When you land is when you declair your assets. Not from where you depart.

There is an exception to this, but it is not common. If your arrival destination does not have immingratiom & customs at the airport, like N.Y. LaGuardia, all this is done by U.S. TSA, immigration & customs in Canada. And by the same token, the Canadians don't give a hoot about you when you're leaving their country, other than making sure that you're safe to get on the plane and that you didn't overstay your visa or standard agreement with whatever country you came from. But the Americans are even dumber in this regard. They don't care if you overstayed on your way out, they don't even check for it. They will catch it on your next return and put you on the next flight out.

[chad]

this is true. i've always been given the form about half an hour before landing, never at departure.

[Spectrism]

If they were trying to strip a gold bar from me, they would need a team of tasers and porker TSA agents to pry me loose. I would go to jail if they tried to steal my metal. And they would earn a longlasting grudge that would cost them dearly. If they made me into an outlaw, they would be sorry.

[Horn]

if its .999 fine you can walk thru metal detectors, I've done it. But with the new naked ones I may not try it anymore. :)

[Libertarian_Guard]

if its .999 fine you can walk thru metal detectors, I've done it. But with the new naked ones I may not try it anymore. :)


Bad idea. Throw then in a side pocket of your carry on, mixed in with your change.

And you're never required to stand in the new naked scanner, you can opt out for a manual pat down, but if you're running late for your flight, you'll likely step inside and get it over with. It's OK, they allow for shrinkage.

[Horn]

if its .999 fine you can walk thru metal detectors, I've done it. But with the new naked ones I may not try it anymore. :)


Bad idea. Throw then in a side pocket of your carry on, mixed in with your change.

And you're never required to stand in the new naked scanner, you can opt out for a manual pat down, but if you're running late for your flight, you'll likely step inside and get it over with. It's OK, they allow for shrinkage.


Well, there's always that lesson to be learned from the guy with cocaine in his keester.

You'd have to exercise before carrying PMs that way though.

[ShortJohnSilver]

Part of this story makes NO sense.


"In nine separate instances, CBP officers seized currency from travelers departing the U.S. without declaring actual amounts even when asked directly."

When you fly out of the U.S. you don't even see these people. You don't even get the form untill the plane is in the air. None of this happens at the U.S. departure gate way.



Actually this was not the case for me when I flew to the Philippines from JFK airport in NYC. T

here were CBP right in front of the line, and they told those boarding that if you had more than $10K in cash you had to declare it. I saw a little old lady (Filipino) and her daughter talking to one of them, the CBP were being polite but they wanted to know the source of the money (from the little I overheard).

[etc]

They are the terrorists.

[Ponce]

On my travels the only place where they asked me "How much cash are you taking out?" was in Rhodesia, back in seventy six.....I did have about $12,000 and told him so, he then asked me for how long I was working incountry and I told him........no pro.....have a good flight sir, and thank you.