Long story, but he had $30,000 in cash that he was bringing back from China where he owns a business and didn't bother to declare it when he arrived in a Mexico.

On the way out he was pulled aside during screening and taken to a back room.  There he was given a brown paper bag and told to meet some officers in a restroom in the airport where he would hand that bag to the officers filled with $5000.  If he did so, he would be allowed to board his flight.  If not, he would be arrested for whatever crime they deemed him worthy of.

He followed the instructions and got out of Mexico with only a loss of $5,000.