Officials: Man tried to smuggle $500K in counterfeit money at Atlanta airport

While many were busy treating Tuesday night, one 62-year-old man was trying to trick U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials and smuggle more than $500,000 in counterfeit money through Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

The man, who got off a flight from Peru, was taken into custody by the U.S. Secret Service, federal officials said in a news release. Officials did not release the man’s identity, but did say he was a U.S. citizen.

“This seizure demonstrates how U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s border search authority protects American businesses and consumers against counterfeit currency and other illicit products that pose potential harm to our nation and to our economy,” CBP’s Atlanta Port Director, Carey Davis, said in a release.