The mother of Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly had €55,000 (£40,400) seized by the authorities at Madrid airport last month.
Dolores Aveiro is believed to have been carrying the large sum of cash in her handbag while waiting for a flight to her native Portugal.
According to newspaper El Mundo, Ms Aveiro had no explanation as to why she needed that much cash and due to administrative laws, she was detained briefly by police at the airport and was told to pay €600 (£442) in order to retrieve the money.
Under Spanish law, travellers are not allowed to take more than €10,000 (£7,368) out of the country without declaring it.
