DETROIT – U.S. Customs and Border protection officials found $4,650,000 in counterfeit U.S. currency during a search of a Vietnamese couple's luggage last Friday at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
In a statement, the agency said officials searched the couple after they arrived in Detroit from Seoul, Korea, and gave conflicting statements about carrying in excess of $10,000. Officials found 93 bundles of counterfeit U.S. $100 bills and 32 bundles of counterfeit Vietnamese Dong, the national currency of Vietnam.
The agency said the couple was trying to import the counterfeit bills to be offered as burnt-offerings to the deceased - as often practiced in certain Asian cultures. Hell money is a form of joss paper printed to resemble legal tender bank notes. The notes are not an officially recognized currency nor are they legal tender.
“Attempting to import any amount of counterfeit currency, regardless of the intended purpose, can have serious implications for arriving travelers,” says Devin Chamberlain, port director. “Quality law enforcement work and solid attention to detail resulted in this seizure, and I am proud of the officers involved.”
The couple was not charged and released.