So what we are talking about is grounds for an investigation, not a conviction.
I would argue that $8 billion in a car trunk is certainly grounds for an investigation. You, I presume, consider tbis to be nothing out of the ordinary and insufficient grounds to start asking questions?
I consider what is carried in my car trunk, or in a suitcase, or on my person, either in my pockets or in my shoes, to be my business only.
The fact this incident happened in Europe notwithstanding, we Americans are accustomed to the idea that a person cannot be frisked or his possessions searched without probable cause, and a warrant issued by a judge is needed before such search can commence. Those niceties are skipped over, apparently, when an American travels abroad.
The point I was attempting to make earlier, which was glossed over, was that carrying large sums of money, or guns, or whatever, is not by itself a crime. If we assume that it is, then we can easily stretch protections against illegal searches to fit the circumstances. We can declare "War on Money Laundering" and stop people at random to catch the one in a million who has cash over a certain amount and, therefore, must be engaged in some nefarious plot to smuggle drugs or WMDs or worse.
At one time in this country, and maybe even now depending on where you live, it was a crime to have a police band radio. People were actually thrown in the slammer for having "burglary tools." We have made some progress. Now it's only illegal to own certain ugly guns, or brass knuckles, or bullet-proof vests, or to try to bring a pistol onto a commercial airliner.
The gun controllers want us to believe guns cause crime. An overwhelming body of evidence tells us otherwise. It's criminals using guns that we need to worry about.
Now, why are we letting the same fallacy apply to cash? Until the cash changes hands, and a criminal intent is proven, what business is it of the government - any government - who has the cash, or how much?
I don't personally give a hang about Don Johnson, or any other Hollyweird celebrity. I'm not trying to stick up for him or explain why he had such large sums in his suitcase.
I do give a hang about our freedom to carry such large sums without having to answer to some customs agent, T-Man, or local JBT whose job may be funded in whole or in part with illegally confiscated money. That's the way it usually works here. It's in a way refreshing to know that the authorities in Germany at least gave the money back.