US Treasury DepartmentAnnouncement It is targeting three Mexican financial institutions, which is a significant twist for their alleged roles in laundering income tied to synthetic opioid smuggling, not only against Fentenile in US Financial offensive, but also in the future of US-Maxico security cooperation.
These restrictions were issued under extended authorityClose the Fentenal ActThey are the first of their kind and they can have a more concentrated approach to shut down the money that makes the organized crime so profitable and powerful.
But there is a deep truth behind the headlines: if we are serious about destroying Cartel’s financial network, we need more confidence and more coordination between government agencies in both countries.
Money laundering is not just a financial offense – this is the lifetime of drug smuggling organizations. Reported from China, from the Fantenal forearm to illegal cash-based laundering schemes, the ability to transfer, hide and invest to criminal organizations is the ability to transfer, hide and invest their profits that allow them to survive.
This is why there has been a bilateral anti -anti -money laundering relationship between the US and Mexico, and should be a foundation stone of the fight against organized crime.
In the last 20 years, both governments have created institutional relations High-level security dialogue And this North American Drug DialogueComplained intelligence and regulatory and supervisory alignment through joint work forces.
Nevertheless, such revelations remind us that those channels have been inadequately insufficient to combat the power and simplicity of drug smuggling organizations.
Trust deficiency that often cloudy US-Mexico cooperation-Head-on should be addressed-on-on-the-on-on-on-the-on-on.
Since sad1985 kidnapping and murderIn the drug enforcement agency agent Enrich “Kiki” Camrena, confidence between the US and Mexican security agencies has been killed by doubt and periodic breakdown.
Following Camrena’s affair, the drug smuggling organizations exposed the deep entangling of the Mexican law enforcement, indicating a significant pruning in bilateral cooperation.
In decades, while cooperation fits and starts – such as duringMerida initiativePeriod – Longer apprehensions on corruption, leaks and sovereignty have often reduced joint efforts.
Successfully, American agencies often question the integrity and ability of their counterparts in the Government of Mexican, while Mexican officials are deeplyware of the objectives behind the US security tasks.
There has been further decline in recent years, especially the following2020 arrestFormer Mexican Defense Minister Salvador Cienfuegos in the US, triggers a diplomatic backlash and led to pass Mexico to pass the law that restricted foreign law enforcement works on their soil.
This cycle of mistrust has obstructed intelligence-sharing, constrained operational coordination and has eventually allowed drug trafficking organizations to take advantage of judicial and institutional division. If both countries want to mount a successful and continuous fight against organized crime, then rebuilding that trust should become a shared strategic priority.
It is true that Mexico has made significant progress with especially in recent years,2020 improves its financial intelligence frameworkAnd the increased powers for Unidad de Inteligencia Financiera, but those reforms have not been fully implemented and still have important problems with compliance.
Meanwhile, the US has deployed a rapid sophisticated array of financial equipment, includingGlobal Magnitsky ActAndSection 311 of the Patriot Act,To disrupt criminal finance globally.
The one who is missing is a spontaneous partnership; One where the intellect is shared in real time, regulatory structures are differential -qualified and suspected activity is pursued across the boundaries with joint accountability.
Examples around the world show what is possible if it is possible to prioritize financial cooperation.
US-United Arab Emirates Joint Task Force on illegal financeDue to the recovery of millions of dollars associated with the terrorist network.Europeol collaboration with European Union’s financial intelligence unitsMember states have generated successful operations against transnational crime, from cyberfrod to human trafficking.
Even in Latin America, Tripa-limit area cooperation initiative Between Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay have shown that when the law is added with enforcement cooperation, the money-colon-londering efforts have been coordinated, even disrupting illegal flows in the most complex areas.
Mexico and America are associated with a common interest in destroying not only with their economic integration, but also shared security challenges and organized crime.
But cartel finance only requires more than restrictions to disrupt Finance – it demands confidence. To create that belief, we must go beyond high-level announcements and invest in institutional relations.
This means that to ensure the integrity of counterparts on both sides, expanding secondary and joint training programs between agencies and increasing waiting processes to create regular, structured interactions between investigators, prosecutors and regulators.
Emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence can also support this effort, provide new equipment to detect suspected financial patterns, tracking boundaries and flag discrepancies in real time.
However, we should also attach the offices of state and federal attorney in the civil society – especially bar associations, law schools and both countries – to create a comprehensive basis for professional confidence and legal cooperation.
Only by deepening these networks and normalizing cooperation at all levels, we can create flexible, bifurcated ecosystems required to fight financial crime and drug trafficking and protect life on both sides of the US-Maxico border.
Duncan Wood is the CEO of Wood International Consulting and former director of the Mexico Institute of Wilson Center.
