Bachata bandleader, musicians held in NY on alleged excess dollars

NEW YORK.- Bachata bandleader Edward Jose (Varon de la Bachata) was arrested at Kennedy Airport noon Tuesday, as he was about to fly to Dominican Republic with his entire group, of which some were also reportedly detained.

The performer had just concluded a tour of several weeks in New York and other states, and was boarding a flight to Santo Domingo, when Custom and Border Protection (CBP) agents arrested him, confirmed a source close the investigation, quoted by newspaper Nuevo Diario.

The source added that the bandleader faces questioning into the large number of dollars he was allegedly taking to his country, though the amount wasn’t specified. Federal law places a limit for travelers of $9,999 dollars, without having to declare.

Sister denies arrest

A sister of the performer, who declined giving her name to news source CDN, denied Wednesday that her brother is being held.