Some disbelief... some justification...
You can take money out of the country, but by law, if you are taking more than $10,000 you MUST declare it.
Customs will actually count the money in front of you in a private room.
If you are even close to $10,000 you are scrutinized. If you have $9950 on you and your traveling companion has $50, they add this.
Do not presume to take $9999 and think you don’t have to declare it. If they find the money they will put in their own $2.00 and haul your ass away.
This is a fact.
As far as what the CO told me concerning the missionaries, you can chose to call BS if you want, but our CO sat right in my living room and related it.
I was PIMO at the time, my wife was PIMI.
I was not surprised ‘per se’ to hear what the CO related. But my ears did perk up.
He related how the couple were almost caught at Customs, but “Jehovah’s spirit saved them” of course. How “faith strengthening..”
Amazing the things a CO will blabber about after a good meal and a glass of wine.
The way he related it, this was a common thing, to load up the missionaries with cash for the trip out. He didn’t explain the purpose for the money, just the fact that they smuggled.
See “Seized” bullet two.
https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/typical-day-fy2015