JUNE 11--A Canadian mother and her teenage daughter were found to have nearly $60,000 stuffed in their bras after they were stopped and searched Sunday afternoon as they tried to cross into the U.S. via the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, investigators report.

According to a U.S. District Court filing, Moura El-Esmar, 51, and her daughter Jacinta, 16, were passengers in a car driven by a fellow Canadian citizen who El-Esmar identified as her boyfriend.

El-Esmar told border agents that she and her child were being driven to the Detroit airport, where they were booked on a flight to Lebanon (where they planned to visit with relatives for about 10 weeks).

During a search of El-Asmar’s purse, agents found $15,000 in Canadian currency and $300 in U.S. bills, which she failed to declare as required by law. In response to the discovery, Customs and Border Protection officers proceeded to conduct pat downs of El-Asmar and her daughter.

While frisking the older El-Asmar, “a bulky mass was discovered on the bra,” according to a court affidavit. El-Asmar copped to having “money sewn into her bra.” The Canadian cash--found in four separate bags--totaled $39,000.

During questioning, El-Asmar acknowledged that she had also sewn money into her teenager’s bra. A subsequent search recovered two bags from the lining of
the girl’s bra (each bag held $10,000 in Canadian currency).

El-Asmar told agents that she “concealed the money for safety” and only declared $3300 at the border crossing because she did not want her boyfriend to know she was so flush. She claimed to have retrieved the currency from her bank safety deposit box, adding that her primary sources of income are her “disability checks and her paper route.”

June 11th, 2013, 4:48 PM
Two Windsor women — a mother and daughter — were busted Sunday for allegedly trying to sneak nearly $73,000 into the United States, with most of it sewn into their bras, according to a criminal complaint filed in a Detroit federal court this week.

It’s a violation of United States law not to report cash greater than $10,000.

According to the complaint from the Department of Homeland Security read by Candice William of The Detroit News, Moura El-Asmar, 51, and her daughter Jacinta El-Asmar, 16, along with two males were questioned Sunday as they attempted to enter the United States at the Detroit-Windsor tunnel.

One of the men was driving the women to Detroit Metro Airport to catch a flight to visit family in Lebanon until late August, according to the complaint.

Moura El-Asmar said that she was carrying $3,300 in Canadian dollars. According to the complaint, the border patrol explained to her the laws for reporting currency and she repeated that she had a total of $3,300 in Canadian currency.

Officers then patted down Moura El-Asmar and found a “bulky mass” in her bra. When questioned, Moura El-Asmar said she had sewn money into her bra. Officers found three bags containing $10,000 Canadian dollars each and a fourth with $9,000 Canadian dollars. Moura El-Asmar said she did not want the money stolen. In her daughter's bra, agents found two bags that each contained $10,000.

El-Esmar’s daughter said her mother “sewed currency into her bra and asked her to wear the bra,” but that she “did not know how much money was in the bra,” according to the court filing.

Agents seized the equivalent of about $73,000 in U.S. currency from El-Asmar, who was arrested for bulk cash smuggling, a felony that carries a maximum five-year prison term. She was also charged with making false statements and failing to declare the cash. Her daughter was not arrested.

While the pair’s respective bras were confiscated by federal agents, it is unclear whether the undergarments would be subject to future forfeiture proceedings. (5 pages)

gotta liven this place up with a boob story. not sure even this is going to work

naw, no luck, now I'm really getting sleepy ......zzzzzzz