’89 Ford Truck Seized by Customs Worth 1.3 Million; There’s a Catch

You might be asking yourself how a 1989 Ford F800 cargo truck is worth 1.3 million dollars, and you have every right to question this posting, but obviously, there’s a catch.

For some, their old clunker that’s collecting dust outside is worth that much to them and they wouldn’t sell it for a penny less. However, to someone else it’s worthless, unless it has gold or a million dollars tucked away in its cargo, which may, or may not, be the case in this situation.

In a press release from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a Ford F800 bound for Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic was intercepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agents in Puerto Rico. Although nothing appeared out-of-the-ordinary on the truck, a routine search conducted by dogs yielded a surprise, and unfortunately, those waiting on their dining table are going to be eating on the floor – that’s if they aren’t already in a jail cell.

In a box labeled “dining table,” the dogs picked up on something more than wood in the box, according to Customs officers in San Juan, Puerto Rico. While there was a dining table in the box, there was also something else – $1,000,100 in cold hard cash.

As you can imagine, that amount of cash piqued the officers’ interest, which led to a more intensive search. In that same cargo truck, CBP seized an additional $348,940 in cash found in a sink. Despite there not being a limit as to how much money travelers can import or export, federal law states that any dollar figure above $10,000 must be reported to agents. If you fail to do so, it can lead to the loss of your money, an arrest, or both.

So, no, the Ford F800 cargo truck itself isn’t worth that much money, but it certainly was worth its weight in gold in this situation, and it’s safe to say someone, somewhere, is not having a good week.