SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (CMC) — The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency says a reggaeton singer has been arrested in Bayamon, Puerto Rico for “failure to declare transportation of monetary instruments” in more than US$10,000 and for bulk cash smuggling into the United States.

ICE said the arrest was the result of a joint investigation that it conducted with the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency.

According to ICE officials, on April 2, Carlos Efrén Reyes-Rosado, aka Farruko, 26, travelled by helicopter from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico.

When Reyes-Rosado filled out the  customs declaration form, he indicated that he was not carrying more than US$10,000.

However, it’s reported that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents initially detained him at the Isla Grande airport in San Juan after a search of his bags revealed that he was carrying about US$51,802 in his luggage and in the soles of his shoes in his bags.

On April 3, ICE said US Magistrate Judge Bruce McGiverin “authorised a criminal complaint and issued an arrest warrant against Reyes-Rosado.” HSI special agents arrested him the same day.

It said Reyes-Rosado had his preliminary hearing before McGiverin Wednesday.

ICE said Bulk Cash Smuggling is a reporting offense under the Bank Secrecy Act, and is part of the United States Code (USC).

According to ICE, the code stipulates that “whoever, with the intent to evade a currency reporting requirement, knowingly conceals more than US$10,000 in currency or other monetary instruments on the person of such individual or in any conveyance, article of luggage, merchandise, or other container, and transports or transfers or attempts to transport or transfer such currency or monetary instruments from a place within the United States to a place outside of the United States, or from a place outside the United States, shall be guilty of a currency smuggling offense.”

CBP said on its website that anyone may bring into or take out of the US, including by mail, as much money as one wishes.

But CBP wants that if anyone is transporting more than US$10,000, one must report it to CBP by completing the Report of International Transportation of Currency or Monetary Instruments .

“The penalties for non-compliance can be severe,” ICE warned.

If convicted, Reyes-Rosado faces a fine of no more than US$250,000, five years in prison or both and forfeiture of the property involved in the offense