A family of seven from Michigan just attempted to smuggle $93,000 to the Middle East onboard a Qatar Airways flight.
According to a report from NBC Philadelphia, a husband and wife and their five children tried to bring the near-$100,000 in cash onto a flight from Philadelphia International Airport to the Middle East. The cash was strapped to the bodies of the parents and hidden in a coat pocket of one of the adult children.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said that the family, all of whom were U.S. citizens, declared far less cash than they actually had.
"The father reported verbally and in writing that they possessed $12,000," according to a statement from Customs and Border Protection (CBP). "During the inspection, CBP officers discovered a combined $93,393 concealed on the man's, the woman's, and their adult child's bodies."
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No criminal charges were filed and the family was allowed to travel to Qatar, but the cash was confiscated.
Let this be a lesson to those carrying more than 10k in cash: If you want to hold onto your money, don't underreport the amount.
Rather than going for that legendary shopping spree, your presumably hard-earned cash will be doing hard time in a forfeiture fund at the Department of Justice.
Funds can be returned, but it is long and arduous road to redemption.
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