Lebanese Mother, Daughter Caught Smuggling $59k Sewn in Bras

Two Lebanese-Canadian women were caught trying to sneak nearly $73,000 into the U.S. by hiding the bulk of the loot —$59,000 — in their bras, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday in Detroit federal court.

The women, who were mother and daughter, were detained at the Detroit-Windsor tunnel on Sunday while en route to Detroit Metro Airport, where they had planned to catch a flight for Lebanon to visit family, the complaint said.

Red flags went up at the border when the mother, Moura El-Asmar, 51, told a customs and border officer that she was carrying $3,300 in Canadian currency. When questioned about U.S. reporting laws, she "stated once again" that she only had $3,300.

Turned out, she had a lot more tucked in her bra, the complaint said.

After pulling the car over for a secondary inspection, customs and border officers searched the mother's purse and other belongings and found roughly $15,000 in Canadian currency, and $300 U.S. money. The woman told officers that she did not count the money, the complaint said.

Then came the pat down.

"A bulky mass was discovered on the bra," the complaint stated.

Officers searched the bra and found four bags sewn into the lining. Three of the bags each contained $10,000 in Canadian currency; a fourth contained $9,000 in Canadian currency.

Officers then patted down the daughter, Jacinta El-Asmar, 16, who had another $20,000 sewn into her bra in two separate bags, the complaint said. The mother told officers that she had sewn the money into both bras.

According to the complaint, the mother told officers that she hid the money because she didn't want it to get stolen, and, because she didn't want her boyfriend – who was the driver that day – to know how much money she had.

The boyfriend and another male passenger said they knew nothing about the money.

A background check on the mother, El-Asmar, showed that she had twice been arrested for theft, making her inadmissible for entry into the United States, the complaint said.

El-Asmar said that her primary sources of income are from her disability checks and a paper route, and that her daughter earns money from baby-sitting. She said that another daughter, who was not in the car, works at a travel agency and makes $800 to $1,000 every two weeks.

According to the complaint, El-Asmar said that the hidden money came from her bank safety deposit box. She was charged with bulk cash smuggling and making false statements to a federal agent. The daughter was not charged.