Jose Alexander Lopez Martinez.
Santo Domingo.- The Customs Agency (DGA) yesterday charged Jose Alexander Lopez Martinez with smuggling US$529,630, seized from him in the Las Americas International Airport when he returned from New York city.
The money was seized on Saturday by Customs investigators, and taken to court in Santo Domingo East for arraignment.
Lopez Martinez was arrested after an investigation lasting several weeks.
From: Dominican Republic, No Spin Zone
He says he won it in a card game
From: United States
He returned from NY with it? How many kilos did he leave the DR with?
From: United States
how did this guy ship half a million dollars through the airport at Kennedy?is this reporting accurate? was he caught with all this money at the airport here? if it adds up, this guy is one really dumb person. has he never heard of the concept of wire transfers?
From: Dominican Republic, No Spin Zone
you gotta wash it first and he was in a hurry
Written by: walnut, 5 Jul 2010 11:12 AM
From: Bouvet Island, Cayuga lakeside
A. Not his money!
B. Hired by someone needing to wash dollars outside the US.
C. He will be returned to US for federal charges and enjoy our penal system.
D. Next?
From: Dominican Republic
That's odd...I sent him down there with more than that! I wonder what happened to the other $2,470,370?? Ah well, I guess we will call that "customs tax".
I don't know which is funnier, that he was able to get through JFK with that much cash or that he thought he could get away with this forever.
From: Dominican Republic
I am surprised that they did not just divide the money up on the spot . . . . or maybe he had $2,529,030
From: Dominican Republic, vieja Santo Domingo
I do not believe this story ,,firstly the permissible amount of money is US$10,000 and secondly all bags go through an x ray machine which is tough in the USA and finally the bags that are off loaded in SDQ are not xrayed if the plane has departed from the USA ,
I am in total agreement with Dreadlocks .
From: Dominican Republic
I now know why his neighbours saw the light in his house on all night, he was counting the money.
What about the $567,978,08 he left here inside the mattress ????
Written by: mrweepa1, 5 Jul 2010 11:45 AM
From: United States, Huntington Station NY. Juan Dolio DR.
He was going to buy a house wid dat moola.!!!!!!
Written by: Tommy, 5 Jul 2010 2:23 PM
From: Canada, Northern Ontario
Oh well.
The rest of us will have a good day!
From: Dominican Republic, No Spin Zone
willi are you that naive.....please why would he declare it ?
From: Dominican Republic, vieja Santo Domingo
he had no chance of getting the money through US customs whether he declared it or not ..I guess he could not put it in a bank because he did not have the correct ID for a bank in the USA and was not in the DR to open one here so the alternative is to use another financial institution with minimal ID requirements ...he probably was an uneducated person
From: Dominican Republic, No Spin Zone
since when do you clear American Customs when departing on an AA flight from NY NY?????
From: Dominican Republic, vieja Santo Domingo
all the bags are passed through xray machines and it is clearly stated in US customs regulations that if you are taking out more than $10,000 you need to fill out form 4790 ..but if you are taking out more than $10,000 you can use travellers cheques with high denominations and then it is reasonably easy to get large amounts through ,,,,as the US customs are looking for money laundering it is best to have proof that the money is yours and through legitimate means . You do not officially clear customs or immigration in the USA as in many other countries but as they use Xrays on everything they can check that way ,,that is what I meant by getting the money through customs .sorry I was not clearer .
Written by: kennyg, 5 Jul 2010 7:56 PM
From: Dominican Republic, Santiago
If it was a several week investigation, then it probably didn't get through and sat at the airport in customs. I bet they traced it to him weeks later and arrested him. How did they get him to pose for the picture?
From: Dominican Republic, vieja Santo Domingo
well, you know the photo is just to say that this man is guilty and in most other countries it would lead to a good defending lawyer getting him acquitted or out on bail ..but here there seems to be no rules as to evidence or procedure and a case is not contaminated no matter what the police do or say .
From: Dominican Republic, vieja Santo Domingo
It has been suggested elsewhere that this man attempted to give the Dominican customs officials a $100 bribe not to open the bag ..but since when have bags from the USA been opened ..maybe he just had bad luck or the USA officials tipped the Dominicans off .
Written by: ElProfe 
, 5 Jul 2010 9:05 PM
From: Dominican Republic, Jarabacoa
DHB
Is that the Xman?
Written by: ElProfe , 5 Jul 2010 9:09 PM
From: Dominican Republic, Jarabacoa
Hay Willie
" A million fits into a brief case in $100's"
Seems like you have been down that road before.
Was it church money or a little toot deal?
Written by: kennyg, 5 Jul 2010 10:20 PM
From: Dominican Republic, Santiago
They open and search my bags everytime I fly out of Santiago. Too many cans of coffee!! I did draw the RANDOM search at JFK 4 weeks ago. Fortunately I only had carry on luggage. I was done in 5 minutes.
From: Turkey, Ham & Cheese
Maybe he's old fashioned and hates debit cards.
Written by: xwill7, 6 Jul 2010 11:46 AM
From: United States, El cuarto bate
idiot! wow I can't believe he would bring that much cash on a commercial flight... Its like he wanted to get caught... he must have been in a hurry
Written by: NATEP, 6 Jul 2010 12:08 PM
From: United States
wow all those taxes we pay ........and he passed thru tsa with all that money
and i had to throw away a clear bottle of water they found in my carry on and i bought it at kennedy
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B. Hired by someone needing to wash dollars outside the US.
C. He will be returned to US for federal charges and enjoy our penal system.
D. Next?
I don't know which is funnier, that he was able to get through JFK with that much cash or that he thought he could get away with this forever.
I am in total agreement with Dreadlocks .
What about the $567,978,08 he left here inside the mattress ????
The rest of us will have a good day!
DHB
Is that the Xman?
" A million fits into a brief case in $100's"
Seems like you have been down that road before.
Was it church money or a little toot deal?
and i had to throw away a clear bottle of water they found in my carry on and i bought it at kennedy