48-year-old Mazen Al Shaar was stopped by Border Force officers in March this year as he was about to fly.
The supermarket worker said he only had £500 in cash on him and that he was leaving the UK to visit family.
But officers searched his three suitcases and two of them contained the huge cash haul.
The total hidden in the suitcases was £1,232,880.
Peter Jones, NCA operations manager, said: “Money launderers are at the absolute centre of serious and organised crime because they enable other offenders to make money from their offences.
“Criminals who deal drugs, firearms, smuggle migrants and commit other organised crime offences do so because of their greed.
“And it’s offenders like Al Shaar who work hand in glove with them to make it all worthwhile.
“By seizing this money and bringing him to justice, we have broken one crucial link in the chain and we’ve deprived an organised crime group of the profit they expected to receive. That money cannot now be ploughed back into further offending.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “This seizure highlights Border Force’s dedicated efforts to protect our borders and keep the public safe. Our officers are trained to spot suspicious behaviour and identify attempts to move illicit cash and other prohibited items across our borders.
“We continue to work closely with law enforcement partners, including the NCA to disrupt criminal networks.”
A confiscation timetable was set for the forfeiture of the money.
