[squidly]

It's messed up that we live in a society where the authorities automatically go after a suitcase full of cash, regardless of whether it is known to be involved in anything illegal. I'm wondering what the threshold of suspicion is, that is, how much cash can I carry without being detained by the gendarmes on suspicion of drug smuggling?

[tbird1]

I carried a million dollars in cash in the back of my car
one time. (I notified the Police and asked for an escort)
No problems at all.
tbird1

[CindyDawg]

Well in my case my money would have been in my bag, which I would have been carrying (I carry a big purse:') and there would have been a fight to get it but they would not have had any doubt about who it belonged to.

[VeniVidiVici]

Nobody onboard the aircraft claimed it was theirs.

I'm sure that if someone, anyone, would step forward and claim the cash, the Feds would love to speak to them and give them their money.

Until then, unfortunately, it must remain in the custody of the state for safekeeping. We can't have the wrong people get it, you know?

[okie01]

"It's messed up that we live in a society where the authorities automatically go after a suitcase full of cash, regardless of whether it is known to be involved in anything illegal."

Does give one cause to wonder, though:

1. Just how did either or both of these schlubs amass all this cash?

2. Or, alternatively, just how did two suitcases full of swag find their way onto this plane full of innocents?

In either event, one would have probable cause to suspect foul play was involved, I suppose. Unless Rana or Folks one had just emptied his mattress...

[Terry Mross]

Here's something you might try. Buy a roundtrip ticket anywhere leaving and returning as soon as possible. Let's assume you buy a ticket from Houston to Nashville with a three hour stay in Nashville then right back to Houston. I promise a federal agent of some sort will approach you at the airport and ask you if you have a large sum of money. And if you have $5,000 or more in cash say goodbye to your money. That's what America has bome to. Suspicion is cause enough to confiscate your stuff.

[piasa]

In this case the authorites didn't check into the two because there was cash involved. They checked into the two because the company alerted them that there was a private plane being flown by a pilot who didn't seem to be aware of what his passenger's name is.

If you don't see anything suspicious about a pilot who flies cross country with one passenger yet doesn't even know the guy's name, carrying a suitcase which doesn't- according to the pilot and passenger- belong to them, then you wouldn't see anything suspicious about an Arab inquiring into flight lessons but not showing any interest in landing procedures.

And a simple check confirmed the passenger is an illegal. I'd say the authorities had pretty good reason to be suspicious.

And this is BEFORE the suitcase was found to have cash in it.

This is hardly a case of 'just the cash' being the trigger for an investigation, though with planes, cash and illegals involved this could as easily be a terrorist case as a drug case.

[EUPHORIC]

It's messed up that we live in a society where the authorities automatically go after a suitcase full of cash, regardless of whether it is known to be involved in anything illegal. I'm wondering what the threshold of suspicion is, that is, how much cash can I carry without being detained by the gendarmes on suspicion of drug smuggling?

Are you naturally that ignorant or have you been indoctrinated into that state of mind?