14 charged with conspiracy to smuggle $3.1 million
McALLEN (AP) — A south Texas federal prosecutor says 14 passengers on a tour bus have been arrested and charged with conspiracy to smuggle $3.1 million in cash into Mexico.
U.S. Attorney Jose Angel Moreno of Houston said Wednesday that the money was wrapped in deflated air mattresses and placed in 17 pieces of luggage.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested the seven U.S. citizens and seven Mexican nationals Sunday at the Hidalgo port of entry on the Mexican border near McAllen.
Each is charged with conspiring to smuggle bulk currency out of the United States, which is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
It is a federal offense not to declare more than $10,000 to a CBP officer when entering or leaving the United States.
