Woman carrying $335K en route to Philippines is held in Honolulu

A woman carrying $335,000 in cash aboard a private jet headed for the Philippines tried to leave the country Tuesday without listing all of the money on her customs declaration, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court.

The complaint accuses Felina S. Salinas of bulk cash smuggling, a crime punishable by up to five years in prison and forfeiture of the cash and related property.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard L. Puglisi ordered Salinas released Wednesday on $25,000 bond, $5,000 of which must be in cash, pending further prosecution.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says Salinas handed Customs and Border Protection officers inspecting the jet at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport on Tuesday a currency report form on which she declared she was carrying $40,000 in U.S. currency and 1,000 Philippine pesos. Federal law requires travelers to declare currency over $10,000.

When the officers opened Salinas’ carry-on bag, they found stacks of $100 bills in bundles of black socks. Homeland Security Investigations says the socks contained $335,000 in U.S. currency and $9,000 in Australian dollars.