Shocking discovery during luggage check at Perth Airport

Daily Mail​

5 days ago

An Aussie mum was found to be carrying nearly $200,000 in cash hidden in her luggage after she was stopped at an airport in Western Australia.
Footage published by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) on Wednesday, shows the moment security staff found the wads of cash in the 65-year-old woman's bag.
The woman, who has not been identified, was stopped by staff at Perth Airport when 'irregularities' were spotted during a luggage screening in October, 2023.
After searching her clothes and bag, staff allegedly discovered $191,850 in Australian dollars, along with a small amount of Euros and other currency.
The AFP alleges the woman failed to declare the money in her luggage and had told officers it was savings.
She also claimed some of it had been given to her by family, including her son and daughter-in-law, authorities said.
An investigation by the Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce (CACT) found her son and daughter-in-law had purchased six properties in Western Australia.
Their value averaged up to about $4.5million in the past six years.
The investigation found the couple's spending and asset portfolio did not seem to align with the earnings they had declared to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
Police alleged the couple 'hid their true earnings' to pay less tax than required.
During the investigation, the couple also allegedly purchased a property in Gnangara, in Perth's northern suburbs, worth just over $2million.
The taskforce applied to the Perth District Court to have multiple assets belonging to the woman and the couple restrained on June 24, 2025.
This included seven properties in Western Australia collectively worth about $6.5million, including the Gnangara property, the almost $192,000 in cash seized at Perth Airport and a bank account containing about $236,000.
There is no limit to the amount of cash travellers can bring in or take out of Australia but if it is more than $10,000 it must be declared.
Under Commonwealth laws, the AFP can apply to restrain assets or money even when there is no related criminal investigation or prosecution.
If legal proceedings are successful, the assets are liquidated and the proceeds placed in the Commonwealth Confiscated Assets Account (CAA).