Passenger arrested after failing to declare cash

A US national travelling to Malta will be charged in court over the coming days after customs officials found he had undeclared cash in his possession.

The discovery of the money was made during a routine operation at Malta International Airport on Monday.

The passenger flew to Malta from the US through Frankfurt, the customs department said.

He was flagged after his belongings were screened by the X-ray machine at MIA arrivals.

Customs said €16,600 and $114 bundled in several packets were found. The passenger was handed back €10,000 and the rest seized to be presented in court. The passenger was handed over to the police for further investigation and is expected to be arraigned in court in the coming days. 

This has been a record breaking year for Customs, not only in terms of drug seizures but also for undeclared cash seizures. Over the past two weeks there were four cases of undeclared cash. 

According to European anti-money laundering law, a passenger carrying more than €10,000 in cash is obliged to declare them to customs before traveling.

Failure to do so will result in arrest, a hefty fine, and the seizure of the undeclared cash.