Arnold Schwarzenegger Detained at Munich Airport for 3 Hours Over 'Incompetent Shakedown,' Says Source

The actor and former California governor traveled to Germany for a charity auction, but was held up upon arrival

•Arnold Schwarzenegger was detained by customs agents at Munich airport over an expensive watch he was carrying.

•The timepiece is intended to be sold at a charity auction held in the city on Thursday.

•He was released after three hours and a series of snafus surrounding pre-payment of a tax on the watch.

Arnold Schwarzenegger spent far longer at Munich airport than he intended, thanks to a valuable item in his possession.

The actor and former California governor, 76, was detained by customs agents upon his arrival in the German city on Wednesday, a source confirms to PEOPLE. TMZ was first to report on the incident.

The star was delayed for three hours over a valuable watch he owns and was traveling with that he intended to include in a charity auction at an upcoming event, the source tells PEOPLE.

Valuables over a certain price often have to be declared when traveling internationally, though Schwarzenegger was never given the typical form used to disclose this, the source said.

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After the stop, he complied with the customs agents requests. "He cooperated at every step even though it was an incompetent shakedown, a total comedy of errors that would make a very funny cop movie," said the source.

Schwarzenegger agreed to pre-pay potential taxes on the watch, but actually getting the funds to them proved to be another complex task.

"The officers failed to use a credit card machine for an hour until they gave up and brought Arnold to a bank and asked him to withdraw cash from an ATM to pay," the source says. "The ATM they brought him to had a limit too low and the bank was closed. When he returned, a new officer brought a new credit card machine that worked."

Schwarzenegger was eventually allowed to leave the airport with the watch in hand without further issue.

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A customs spokesperson confirmed the incident to CBS News. Airport law enforcement did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

“All is well and we look forward to a very successful charity event,” a rep for Schwarzenegger tells PEOPLE.

Schwarzenegger is scheduled to appear at the Dinner & Auction for Environmental Protection at the Stanglwirt on January 18, according to a press release. "The proceeds will support the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative, which organizes the annual AUSTRIAN WORLD SUMMIT climate conference in Vienna and backs climate projects globally," the invitation states.

Any auction items sold at the event will be properly reported, the source said, adding, "We hope next time they don’t make him pay taxes on his suits or anything else he packs."

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Germany's guidelines for duties and taxes related to customs state that when entering the country from outside the E.U., travelers must declare "funds of 10,000 euros" or more and some “valuable objects such as jewelry, expensive digital cameras, and so on" may require special procedures.

Munich Airport's website notes that "goods intended for commercial or trading purposes must always be declared regardless of their value."

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