How Much Cash Can You Legally Carry On You in Louisiana?

(Lafayette, Louisiana) - Have you ever thought about the amount of cash you can legally carry on you? If not, you aren't the only one.

A couple of nights ago, I was watching a show on television that highlights police activity across the country, and an officer pulled someone over for a traffic violation. Upon further investigation, the officer found that the driver had $30,000 in his possession.

As you may expect, that was a "red flag" for the officer. He suspected that the person he pulled over may be involved in something illegal, but the person with the cash said he had that much money on him after selling shoes.

During the investigation, the officer informed the person with the large amount of cash on him that he had to legally explain why he had so much cash in his possession. The officer stated that if a citizen has more than $10,000 on them, any officer may demand documentation proving where the money came from.

I never knew that, so I looked up how much cash you can legally carry in Louisiana, and I found that there's no limit on how much you can have on you. Laws vary from state to state on how much money you can have on you before you have to prove where you got it.

For example, if you sell a vehicle for $20,000 and you have that much cash on you, and you are pulled over or searched, you may be required to show a bill of sale to prove the source of the cash.

How Much Cash Can You Travel With?

Now back to Louisiana, while there may be no limit on the amount of cash you can have in your possession, if you are entering or exiting the country with more than $10,000, it must be declared. This is done to prevent any illegal activity you may be engaged in.

Also, police can seize any large amount of cash you may have on you if they suspect you're engaging in any illegal activity, and that is cleared under civil asset forfeiture. If you cannot prove on the spot where the cash is from or what it's being used for, you may have to go to court to prove the source of the cash in order to get the money back.

By the way, the guy who was pulled over by the officer on the television show I was watching was found to be in possession of marijuana.

At airports, TSA cannot seize cash from you, but they can notify police of what you have in your possession. You may then have to prove where the cash came from if questioned, and if you have over $10,000 on you.

How to Report Cash You Are Traveling With

To report that you are travelling with a lot of cash in your possession, simply fill out a Currency Reporting Form online. Then make sure you print the report and carry it with you so that you can prove why you are in possession of so much money if questioned by authorities.

If you fail to report that you have over $10,000 on you while entering or exiting the country, you can face some pretty serious fines and consequences:

• Confiscation of all currency or monetary instruments
• A fine of up to $500,000
• Up to 10 years of imprisonment