31 July 2023 , 11:03
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A British busker has been left "upset and distraught" after inheritance money from his mother was confiscated from him on a recent trip to Spain. Alan Powe, from Nottingham, says he was travelling from Gibraltar to Spain on May 14 when he had thousands of dollars taken off him at airport customs, reports the Nottingham Post.
The 71-year-old was carrying $9,000 (£7,000) at the time, and claims that border forces accused him of money laundering because it surpassed the €10,000 limit on taking cash into an EU country. However Mr Powe says that he has had no issues taking the cash across the border on plenty of other occasions since he moved to Gibraltar in 2020.
He alleges that two members of staff asked him for the money before confiscating it when he was heading to Spain for the weekend. Speaking from Gibraltar he told the publication: "The money had gone up in value for some reason on the day, lifting the money €200 above the limit."
(Getty Images/iStockphoto)Mr Powe does not have a bank account and carries his money in a backpack. He claims he was told he would need to prove provenance before he could get the funds back, but even after this was obtained, the cash was still not released. He tried again days later with the help from the Gibraltar Methodist Church, and was told his documents would be sent to Madrid. However he claims he was also later told to sign a letter "saying I was sorry for what I've done and that I wouldn't money launder".
The busker said it's something he would "never do", adding that he's been "upset and distraught about it because it's all the money I have".
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He added: "I've been able to work hard and get a little money for a couple of plane flights, but that's all I've got. They took everything and said they won't give it me back. I don't know what I'll do now, I'll have to come back to the UK but the date's still not fixed. I'm able to generate enough money with a banjo just about to cover expenses for now."
The British Embassy confirmed that it had not been approached for consular assistance, but its staff stand ready to support British Nationals overseas 24/7.
For Brits travelling from the UK, there are rules in place around how much cash you can take with you. According to the government website, you must declare cash of £10,000 or more to UK customs if you’re carrying it between Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and a country outside the UK.
Travellers are warned: "If you do not declare cash that you should have, all the cash you are carrying can be seized by a Border Force officer. You may have to pay a penalty of up to £5,000 to get it back. This can be taken from the cash before the rest is returned. Any cash can be seized if customs authorities have reasonable grounds to suspect a crime. They can keep the cash for 48 hours - after that they need a court order.