MIAMI, Fla. - Customs officers at a Florida airport found nearly a half-million dollars being smuggled out of the United States hidden inside furniture, officials said.

U.S. Custom and Border Protection officers at Miami International Airport seized $491,280 in unreported U.S. currency last Thursday, the agency said in a news release. The money had been concealed inside a chair placed in a crate with other furniture. The shipment was heading to the Dominican Republic and was selected for examination during outbound enforcement operations, officials said.