$4.65M in counterfeit 'hell money' seized in Detroit

DETROIT, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- Detroit customs officers seized $4.65 million in "hell money," counterfeit U.S. and Vietnamese currency designed to be burned as offerings to the dead.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office at Detroit International Airport announced the seizure Wednesday, after a couple arrived Friday from South Korea with 93 bundles of counterfeit U.S. $100 bills and 32 bundles of counterfeit dong, the Vietnamese currency, in their luggage. The unidentified couple explained the bills are "hell money" -- to be burned as a sign of respect for the dead, a custom practiced in some Asian cultures. The fake currency was printed on joss paper, a coarse paper typically made of bamboo.

"Attempting to import any amount of counterfeit currency, regardless of the intended purpose, can have serious implications for arriving travelers," said CBP Port Director Devin Chamberlain in a statement.

Customs spokesman Ken Hammond said the couple was allowed to resume travel, without the "hell money," noting they had never intended to spend the money.