Florin Salam, a famous Romanian Roma singer of manele – a local music style that mixes elements from the Turkish, Serbian, Greek, and Arabic music, was stopped on the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York for carrying much more money than the legal limit.

Salam and his band were stopped by the airport authorities, who found some USD 100,000 in the singer’s luggage, which he hadn't declared.

Citing “sources from across the ocean,” local Wowbiz.ro reports that both the singer and the band were taken to an office inside the airport, where they had to explain where the money came from. As Salam had no documents proving the money’s provenience, the airport authorities decided to seize the amount.

There is no limit on the amount of money that can be taken out of or brought into the United States. However, if a person or persons traveling together have USD 10,000 or more in currency or negotiable monetary instruments, they must fill out a "Report of International Transportation of Currency and Monetary Instruments" FinCEN 105, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. If a person or group of people travelling together fail to declare having over USD 10,000, their money can be confiscated and they may also face civil and or criminal penalties.

Florin Salam apparently raised the USD 100,000 during a concert at a restaurant in New York. Usually, the manele singers receive money from the audience, either because people simply like the song, or because they want the singer to make dedications for them. However, most of the times, they are invited by various well-off Roma in the country or abroad to perform at special events such as weddings and baptisms. Well-quoted artists like Salam sometimes manage to raise a small fortune during a single performance.

In this case, the approximately USD 100,000 Salam managed to raise during the concert in New York was to be split between him and all the band members. Local Evz.ro reports that the owner of the place where Salam held the concert said that the incident at the airport was real, but that Florin Salam’s money was justified and the U.S. authorities would give it back to him.

Last summer, BBC made a documentary about the gypsy manele singers in Romania, called The New Gypsy Kings.

Florin Salam is considered to be the king of manele music in Romania. He often brings international themes to his creations. This is one of his most popular songs.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Florin Salam on Facebook)