Posted on 07/29/2020 7:04:40 AM PDT by edwinland
When he heads to airports now, Samuel Haile thinks of that day at Buffalo's airport a few years ago. The government took $12,000 from his carry-on and wouldn't give it back.
Haile was not charged with a crime
...
Dozens of passengers have suffered such a loss in recent years in Buffalo. With an X-ray machine, a screener spots a dense mass in a piece of luggage. If it's an unusually large sum of cash, the government takes it on the suspicion that it's drug money.
At Buffalo and every other airport in the country, the TSA screens bags and people in the name of airline safety, not because police have probable cause to think a crime is underway.
Still, those searches enrich law enforcement.
In Buffalo ... airport police and federal agents seized more than $860,000 over four years – more than $17,000 a month, on average ... the dozens of travelers relieved of their money were sent on their way.
...
TSA screeners can only seize objects that might imperil an airliner, and cash does not pose such a threat. Yet the screeners set the wheels in motion. ... after spotting amounts as small as $6,000, screeners turned to supervisors, who turned to Niagara Frontier Transit Authority police. The police called in their federal partners in a joint task force, usually the DEA or the FBI.
...
A drug-sniffing dog was led in. Most paper currency in the United States has come into contact with drugs, research has shown. The dog, in cases reviewed by The News, consistently confirmed the scent of narcotics. That gave the officials the final measure of probable cause needed to keep the cash. In a few weeks, the traveler received mailed instructions on how to appeal for the money's return.
(Excerpt) Read more at buffalonews.com ...
Right now cash is frowned upon by merchants because of COVID, and a shortage of coins.
I like the no-cash self checkout machines at Walmarts and Wegmans, they get me to the front or the lines while the using cash folks have to wait in line.
Actually what I posted at the comment you responded to was :”12K of cash and not being to be able to show where you got it from, like a bank receipt, looks pretty suspicious.”
I didn't post a conclusion
There’s a limit allowed on airplanes and 12,000 is beyond that limit.
There good reason is they want to. They will call in a dog who is trained to “alert’ on command. The command does not need to be verbal.
THEIR........
I beat you to it #6
Sorry, I need to read the previous posts more carefully. :0)
Found this
What is the most amount of cash you can fly with?
There is no limit to the amount of cash you can carry domestically or internationally. However, traveling internationally you should declare any amount in currency or currency equivalents (like cashier's checks for example) that is above the value $10,000; this is because you need to provide the source of funds.
How much cash can you carry on US domestic flights?
If you are on a domestic flight in the US, there is no limit as to the amount of cash you carry. However, the TSA requires you to declare your cash if the amount exceeds $10,000 or its foreign equivalent.
Thanks. I thought it was 10 grand but wasn’t 100 percent sure. People always feel like they can skirt the rules. I’m glad some get caught.
Thanks!
Cash is inherently “suspicious?”
Unless they know you did something illegal, it should mean nothing. It’s like saying they can take your Tesla because it’s worth more than what others drive, so it’s “suspicious.”
This is wrong and it is also wrong to sell off assets from potential criminals until it has been fully adjudicated.
These are all overreaches by government.
The government will be by shortly to take all your possessions that you don’t have a receipt for.
Is sure does. Especially to someone who has never had that much money in their possession at one time.
Loser.
I have always admired your posts and want to be sure you realize how thankful I am to be your very close FRiend. Don't forget us little people on your way up to further wealth.
I can afford to take you out to lunch on me if you agree to say "no" when asked "Do you want fries with that?"
It's called probable cause.
If you have no proof of where you got huge amounts of cash ‘legally’ when they find it in your carry-on then its your problem, probably drug or tax evasion $$$.
For international flights you have to report over $10K in cash.
Remember in Scarface he flew to Bolivia to setup a $$$ laundering scheme ?
That’s a great find, can you provide the link.
of course the value of cash has nothing whatsoever to do with transportation “security”. It’s just a “because we can” rule.
“Probable cause” should only apply to a suspect in an actual crime. As in, “We found CM near the murder and he was heard to have had an argument with the murdered person.”
There is no “probable cause” with cash, cars, houses, etc. without evidence of a crime.
This is an overreach of government.
I don't sell drugs so I have no reason to risk large sums of my $$$ by carrying it around in cash.
Bought a new car two years ago ~ $20K, paid by check not with drug $$$
Probable Cause to Seize Property
Probable cause to seize property exists when facts and circumstances known to the officer would lead a reasonable person to believe that the item is contraband, is stolen, or constitutes evidence of a crime.
When a search warrant is in play, police generally must search only for the items described in the warrant. However, any contraband or evidence of other crimes they come across may, for the most part, be seized as well.
Should evidence prove to have resulted from an illegal search, it becomes subject to the “exclusionary rule” and cannot be used against the defendant in court. After hearing arguments from the prosecuting and defense attorneys, the judge decides whether evidence should be excluded.
Probable Cause
https://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-rights/probable-cause.html
Under what logical aspect of “reasonable” does someone have to think a crime was committed when one person has $10,001 dollars in their pocket instead of $10,000? This is an absolute perversion of any sense.
There are a few of these searched 'amount of cash allowed on flights'
How to Travel on an Airline With Cash(March 15, 2018 )
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.