DETROIT – A man was arrested at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after officials say they found him carrying $78,883 in cash and a laptop computer containing information about nuclear materials and cyanide.
He will be held in custody at least until Monday, a U.S. magistrate ruled Wednesday.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Leonid Feller said Sisayehiticha Dinssa of Dallas is a potential risk to the community and federal agents want to get a warrant to search his computer more thoroughly, The Detroit News reported.
Raw Data: U.S. v. Dinssa (FindLaw PDF)
U.S. Magistrate Donald Scheer approved Feller's request to detain Dinssa. He is charged with concealing more than $10,000 in his luggage, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, plus forfeiture of the money, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Feller said Dinssa arrived in Detroit from Nigeria by way of Amsterdam and was headed for Phoenix.
Dinssa, an unemployed U.S. citizen, was arrested at the airport Tuesday. An affidavit filed in court said a dog found the scent of narcotics on cash Dinssa carried.
When agents asked him if he had any cash to declare, he said he had $18,000, authorities said. But when agents checked his luggage, they found an additional $60,883. When they scrolled through his laptop, they said they found the mysterious files.
A message seeking comment was left Thursday with his lawyer, Leroy Soles.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox