Nearly $68k in gold found hidden in clothing shipment

Customs officers discovered gold bars and nuggets worth about $68,000 hidden inside one. shipment About the dress, officials said Wednesday.

Customs and Border Protection officers found the hidden gold during a routine X-ray examination of cargo at the Port of Cincinnati on Thursday, officials said. X-rays showed that the density of the cargo did not match what it should have been if the shipment contained only clothing. Officers opened the shipment and found gold bars and a box of loose gold.

They seized the shipment, which originated in San Francisco and was bound for Hong Kong.

An agency lab analysis showed the gold was about 98 percent pure, meaning it was worth $67,830, officials said. The advertised price for the shipment was only $125.

Exporters must notify federal authorities when the value of a shipment exceeds $2,500 through a system designed to ensure compliance with export laws. Those who opt out of entering or filing false information could face civil or criminal penalties, though authorities have not yet said what penalty the owner of the shipment would face.

Port Director Richard Gillespie said Ohio port officials process millions of shipments each year.