A cash-sniffing canine just busted a traveler trying to take a small fortune south of the border — and now federal officials are barking a warning to summer flyers: Don’t try to sneak stacks past airport security.
Nitro, a 3-year-old chocolate Lab working with Customs and Border Protection at Philadelphia International Airport, sniffed out a whopping $44,690 in undeclared cash from a passenger headed to Cancun, Mexico, according to officials.
The 54-year-old traveler — a naturalized US citizen from Peru — allegedly tried to fly under the radar with bundles of cash tucked away on his person and inside his carry-on bag. But Nitro wasn’t fooled.
CBP officers said the man initially claimed he was carrying just $10,000 — the magic number travelers can legally transport internationally without extra paperwork.
But a deeper inspection revealed tens of thousands more hidden in multiple spots.
“This traveler concealed currency in multiple locations for the purpose of evading federal currency reporting laws, but no amount of concealment can hide bulk currency from Customs and Border Protection officers and especially from CBP canine Nitro,” Acting Area Port Director Elliot Ortiz said in the press release.
Federal officers seized nearly all of the cash, leaving the traveler with just $240 “for humanitarian purposes,” officials noted.
Now, with summer travel season about to take off, authorities are reminding jet-setters that while carrying large amounts of cash isn’t illegal, failing to report it absolutely is.
“We are quickly approaching the busy summer travel season, and CBP urges travelers to truthfully report all currency they possess to a CBP officer during inspection or face severe consequences as this traveler learned,” Ortiz added.
Under federal law, travelers entering or leaving the US with more than $10,000 in cash or monetary instruments — including traveler’s checks and certain negotiable instruments — must file a FinCEN Form 105 with Customs and Border Protection.
Those who don’t could end up watching their vacation funds vanish faster than an airport cocktail.
Travelers caught skirting the rule can face seizures, steep penalties, and even criminal charges tied to bulk cash smuggling. In some cases, they may also miss their flights while officers conduct inspections.
CBP officials said the agency seized an average of roughly $180,000 in undeclared or illicit currency every single day during fiscal year 2025 — proving Nitro’s latest bust is hardly a one-off.
For flyers thinking about stuffing extra cash into socks, backpacks or secret compartments before their next international getaway, officials have a simple message: Declare it — or say goodbye to it.
As previously reported by The Post, another cash-sniffing canine has already been cleaning up at airports this year.
A police dog named Pub helped federal agents seize nearly $75,000 in undeclared currency at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport during the first three months of 2026 alone.
The Belgian Malinois — trained to detect cash and firearms — alerted officers to two separate stashes: $44,432 headed to Qatar in February and another $30,417 bound for El Salvador in March, according to CBP.
Officials said Pub was responsible for roughly 20% of all undeclared cash uncovered at the airport during the first quarter of the year.
