After 325-Mile Ride, Taxi Passenger Caught At Border With $194,000

A marathon cab ride from Houston to the U.S.-Mexico border may yet end at the gates of a federal prison for a Florida man who allegedly was trying to smuggle $194,000 out of the country, authorities said Tuesday.

U.S. Customs inspectors were checking traffic headed into Mexico when a Houston taxi with a single passenger pulled up to the crossing at Progreso, Texas, late Monday.

“The gentleman gave a negative declaration for money, so we decided to take a closer look at the situation,” Judy Turner, a spokeswoman for customs, said from her Houston office.

The cash was found hidden inside an air purifier, which was part of the passenger’s baggage.

The passenger, Julio Roberto Duque Lineros, 33, of Hialeah, Fla., was charged with failure to declare money being taken from the country.

The cabbie, who picked up Duque Lineros in Houston, headed back on the 325-mile trip with his $575 fare.

“The unique thing is that someone would pay $575 to drive from Houston to Progreso. You would think he would have caught a flight to McAllen for less money,” Turner said.

She said the cash was found in 96 packages wrapped in carbon paper. It was seized and will probably be forfeited to the government.

“Leaving the country with money is not illegal, but you must declare anything over $10,000. If he had declared the $194,000, he’d probably be in Mexico today,” she said.

Instead, Duque Lineros spent Monday night in the Hidalgo County Jail. At an appearance Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Ormsby, Duque Lineros was ordered held without bond.