Colin Fraser: Illegal cash will be seized before it enters country

With the help of specially trained cash detection dogs, our officers ensure the agency stays one step ahead of criminals trying to hide their ill-gotten gains abroad.

Operations, such as the one carried out at Edinburgh Airport this week, also stop the movement of cash that has not been declared for tax. This prevents the theft of money from the public purse.

The dogs that play such a crucial part in this work are capable of sniffing out Class A drugs as well as cash. We routinely carry out these checks on people leaving Scotland, as well as those travelling in from abroad.

Legitimate travellers have nothing to worry about – we are not here to confiscate your holiday spending money. Only sums of ¤10,000 or more need to be declared. Our officers will seize undeclared cash totalling more than this amount.

An individual whose money is seized will only get it back if they can prove it came from a legitimate source.

As with all UK Border Agency teams, we link in closely with all our partner agencies and routinely share intelligence. This means we can make life as tough as possible for those looking to abuse our border.

The cash controls are just one part of the work the UK Border Agency carries out to keep our borders secure. Every day our dedicated officers use the latest technology and their own expertise to stop drugs, illegal immigrants and contraband goods from entering the country.

Colin Fraser, UK Border Agency Senior Manager