Maybe a lawyer can chime in here and help me understand. I dont understand why they took the money:
1) For it to be a violation of the statute it has to be done "knowingly", right?
2) For there to be a forfeiture there has to be a violation of the statute, right?
3) According to the OP, the customs officer stated that he believed it was an honest mistake.
so why did they keep this guys money???