A man attempting to fly from JFK to the Middle East was arrested after being caught with more than $770,000 dollars hidden in household items including boxes of Alka-Seltzer, Thera-flu, Dove soap and Band-Aids. But no diapers, at least.
U. S. Customs & Border Protection
According to the criminal complaint, which the Post got its hands on, 48-year-old Abdulkarim Altareb was arrested while trying to board a plane to Qatar on March 1st at JFK. He had only declared he had $6,500 on him, but police became suspicious when he only produced $5,870 for them to see.
U. S. Customs & Border Protection
"Examination of two pieces of luggage checked by the defendant revealed more than $770,000 in additional United States currency, concealed in various places, including boxes of the following: hand soaps; Band-aids; Thera-flu; Splenda and Alka-Seltzer...Cash was also hidden in soles of shoes, and in the lining of a jacket inside of one of the checked bags," the criminal complaint reads.
U. S. Customs & Border Protection
When questioned by police, Altareb insisted, "We are trying to build a building in Yemen. This is my brothers’, two brothers’ money," the complaint reads. "The defendant also said, in sum and substance, that some of the money was his money, and some of the money belonged to his family, and that he has a big family."
U. S. Customs & Border Protection
Altareb has been charged with "bulk cash smuggling." As for his story about the money and his family, we can think of at least one other person who made between $700-800K for the express purposes of leaving it to his family.
