U.S. To Launch A Push To Stop Fentanyl Threat

"Char" for Borderland Beat 

This article was translated and reposted from RIODOCE 

In the 'Strategy to Combat Illicit Opioids', the U.S. Office of Homeland Security Investigations reveals that its personnel have offices throughout Mexico and will increase presence, collaboration and investigations to combat drug smuggling.

Personnel from the Homeland Security Investigations Agency (HSI) operate in offices located throughout Mexico to combat the production and trafficking of fentanyl to the United States.

In the "Strategy to Combat Illicit Opioids" document, presented last Tuesday, September 19, HSI details that its agents are strategically assigned in 91 offices in 54 countries to detect and stop the fentanyl production and trafficking chain, including Mexico, where most of the fentanyl entering the U.S. is produced.

"HSI will accomplish these objectives through its robust international presence, and includes hundreds of HSI special agents and HSI national foreign service investigators strategically assigned to 91 offices in 54 countries. This includes personnel assigned to offices located throughout Mexico, where most of the fentanyl that wreaks havoc on Americans is produced, as well as offices in China and throughout the Asia-Pacific region, where most precursor chemicals originate or transit."

Those agents, he adds, are part of the Transnational Criminal Investigative Units (TCIU), HSI's primary mechanism that seeks to prevent precursor chemical trafficking, shut down clandestine fentanyl labs and arrest drug traffickers.

"HSI Mexico's TCIU is a key asset in the fight against illicit opioids destined for U.S. communities. Officers and prosecutors assigned to Mexico TCIUs are deployed to locations throughout the country in furtherance of high-profile investigations targeting Mexican cartels and other TCOs," he explains.

"HSI's TCIUs are comprised of host country law enforcement officers, including customs officials, immigration officials and prosecutors who undergo a strict vetting process."

He adds that through the Transnational Criminal Investigation Units they facilitate information sharing and bilateral investigations involving the illicit production and trafficking of opioids and the associated crimes of arms trafficking, money laundering and cybercrime.

"TCIUs enhance the host country's ability to investigate and prosecute individuals involved in transnational criminal activities within their jurisdictions, often resulting in disruptions of criminal enterprises that also engage in illegal activities in the U.S."

At the May 31 morning conference, a day after the meeting with White House Government Security Advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador denied that there is U.S. government interference in the country in the fight against fentanyl.

"Mexico's foreign policy is defined in the Constitution in Article 89: non-intervention, self-determination of peoples, peaceful solution in disputes, cooperation for development," he said.

In the "Strategy to Combat Illicit Opioids," the Department of Homeland Security Investigations Agency proposes to expand HSI Mexico's Transnational Criminal Investigation Unit to enable additional activities against illicit opioids.

"In FY 2025, HSI Mexico will aggressively expand Mexico's TCIU and implement several operational changes to improve productivity and focus on illicit opioid manufacturing."

The strategy also calls for utilizing the Bulk Cash Smuggling Center (BCSC) to combat cash smuggling by Mexican cartels and other Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs).

"The BCSC operates strategic programs that leverage advanced data analytics, interagency partnerships and law enforcement technology systems to identify complex money laundering networks and provide support for financial investigations," it states.

"In FY 2023, HSI will emphasize the regular release of intelligence products specific to money laundering and illicit asset movement. These products will be designed to increase awareness of emerging trends in TCO financial networks, provide geographically specific financial intelligence, and publicize supporting programs."

The Department of Homeland Security's Bureau of Investigations plans to create the Cross Border Financial Crime Center (CBFCC), which will be a partnership between U.S. federal agencies, foreign agencies, regulatory organizations, banks and other financial institutions, and U.S. financial technology companies with the goal of better information sharing on financial crimes and the illicit use of cryptocurrencies.

The border with Mexico will see an increase in personnel to detect narcotics entering by land, air, and sea.

"HSI will deploy additional special agents to southwest border POEs in FY 2023 in response to the increased rate of non-intrusive vehicle inspection (NII) required by the U.S. Ports Security Act. Vehicular smuggling continues to be a primary method of illegally moving illicit opioids into the United States."

The document notes that while most of the drug precursor chemicals used by Mexican cartels come from Asia, some have been found to be shipped from the United States.

"Currently, Mexican cartels generally obtain chemicals used in drug production from Asia. However, there are indications that certain key chemicals originate in the United States. HSI will establish the Chemical Industry Outreach Project to proactively engage domestic chemical companies that export licit precursor chemicals to Mexico and Central America to counter this trend," he adds.

Operations will also be expanded to dismantle precursor chemical supply chains from Asia and Central America.

"Disrupting the narcotics production supply chain during the acquisition phase has a substantial impact on the amount of drugs found at our borders and on our streets. HSI will continue to target commercial air and maritime transportation modes based on investigative information. The resulting interdictions deny cartels the materials needed to produce narcotics and help gather the evidence needed to build criminal cases against organizations that facilitate narcotics synthesis."

In conjunction with Mexican authorities, he adds that operations to stem the flow of illegal arms exports will also be strengthened.

Operation No Trace (WaT), currently underway, focuses on the illicit purchase, transportation and distribution of firearms, firearms components and ammunition from the U.S. to Mexico.

"WaT's three-pronged approach leverages criminal intelligence analysis, interdiction, and investigative assets to identify, disrupt, and dismantle transnational criminal organizations that traffic firearms. During FY2022, WaT partners initiated 272 criminal investigations resulting in 302 arrests and seizures of 514 firearms, 1,019 magazines and more than 284,000 rounds of ammunition, all destined for TCOs in Mexico."

The strategy to combat illicit opioids is framed around four objectives: reducing the international supply of illicit opioids; reducing the domestic supply of illicit opioids; targeting the facilitators of illicit opioid trafficking: illicit finance, cybercrime and weapons smuggling; and conducting outreach with private industry.

Article published on September 24, 2023 in the 1078th edition of the weekly Ríodoce.

Source: RIODOCE