Customs officials in Argentina confiscate $16,800 worth of Bibles destined for the United States that were illegally hidden and pasted onto pages
- Customs officials at Ezeiza International Airport seized $16,800 hidden in three Bibles last week
- The books were packed in a box that was delivered to the USA via DHL
- There was $10,000 hidden in a Bible. Another had $4,300 and a third had $2,500 spread across its pages
A package sent from Argentina to the United States was intercepted after customs officials discovered that a cunning criminal had illegally hidden thousands of dollars in an unexpected place – the Holy Bible.
Three Bibles with $16,800 marked on their sides were confiscated before the box in which they were packaged could be loaded aboard a DHL cargo plane at Ezeiza International Airport last week.
The raid was made possible when a sniffer dog from the General Customs Directorate discovered an irregularity in the box.
Footage of the bust shows an agent pulling out a Bible and unzipping it before turning the pages and coming across a Bible with a $100 bill on it.
An agent from Argentina’s General Customs Directorate opened a box containing three Bibles containing $16,800 that was being shipped to the United States
$2,500 was hidden in one of three Bibles confiscated by customs officials at Ezeiza International Airport last week
Some Bible pages had up to four $100 bills stacked on top of each other
He continued and came across several pages that showed four $100 bills stacked on top of each other.
The agent checked a second Bible, unzipped it and saw four more $100 bills stacked on top of each other on the side.
Sources familiar with the investigation told the Argentine newspaper La Nación that one of the Bibles was filled with $10,000.
Another Bible had $4,300 hidden and a third had $2,500 spread across the pages.
The money was turned over to the Federal Public Revenue Administration as part of the investigation.
Customs officials at Ezeiza International Airport in Argentina last week seized three Bibles worth $16,800 that were being shipped to the United States via DHL
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, it is legal to bring “currency or other monetary instruments” not exceeding $10,000 “or the foreign equivalent” from another country into the United States or from the United States into to transport another country.
However, any amount exceeding $10,000 must be reported via a paper form or online.
Additionally, a family living in the same household is prohibited from dividing an amount that totals more than $10,000.
Foreign travelers leaving the United States with more than $10,000 must sign a declaration before departure.