Mexico and the United States joined forces to combat money laundering by Mexican drug cartels.
The casino operation, with which 13 casinos in Mexico were identified and blocked, is the first forceful action carried out in a coordinated manner between the governments of both countries.
For those who had doubts regarding the “casino operation” carried out in Mexico by the security cabinet and the financial and fiscal authorities, the coordinated work with the United States Department of the Treasury and the Financial Crimes Control Network shows that there is a will between both nations to combat organized crime based on intelligence and bilateral collaboration.
The government of Mexico openly reported it yesterday (November 13): the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) in coordination with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) of the US Department of the Treasury, carried out joint actions to block financial operations and suspend activities of companies allegedly linked to an organized crime group, related to the Pacific Cartel.
OFAC reported, for its part, that it included 27 people and entities related to irregular operations, allegedly linked to a drug cartel, on its blacklist.
Among its primary powers, OFAC blocks assets and prohibits commercial and financial transactions with specific countries, groups and individuals, such as terrorists and drug traffickers.
In parallel, FinCEN – which combats financial crimes such as money laundering and the financing of terrorism – proposed a special measure to block the access of 10 betting establishments based in Mexico to the US financial system, due to suspicions of money laundering activities.
The positioning and indication of the names and surnames of those involved in the money laundering plot, by the highest authority in the United States in matters of terrorism and financial intelligence, make it evident that they are going all in with the strategy of “follow the money,” as they say in English.
This is a commitment between the governments of Mexico and the United States that until now had not been made public in an explicit and detailed manner.
That is to say, although they had expressed their willingness to coordinate and work together to combat money laundering, it was not known that they were already working to carry out the first high-impact operation.
It is striking that on this occasion, the first information about the case was disseminated from the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, headed by Edgar Amador.
For many years, information on relevant cases was first known from foreign sources and media.
This time, it was spread first in Mexico and even before it was made public at the presidential morning conference.
A few hours after the detection and blocking of 13 casinos was made public in Mexico for allegedly being linked to drug cartels and money laundering, the United States Department of the Treasury announced its decision to sanction companies and members of a family for serving as a front to launder resources in favor of the Sinaloa Cartel.
This coordinated action is the result of recent commitments between the United States and Mexico—acquired during the visit of Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, John K. Hurley—to collaborate more closely in the fight against drug trafficking and related financial crimes perpetrated by drug cartels and other groups based in Mexico, the Treasury Department reported.
“Our message to those who support the cartels is clear: they will be held accountable,” Hurley warned.
It is the beginning of coordinated action.
It could become a “master key” in bilateral relations between Mexico and the United States, in the context of the fight against fentanyl and drug cartels considered terrorist groups by the United States government.
If maintained and reduced to a minimum, if not extinguished, this incipient coordination between Mexico and the United States could change and improve relations between the two nations even beyond the issue of insecurity. At the time.
Glimpses
Faced with warnings from Amexgas, led by Rocío Robles, of an imminent rationing of LP gas, Petróleos Mexicanos and the Ministry of Energy, led by Víctor Rodríguez and Luz Elena González, stepped up to ensure that the supply of that fuel is guaranteed.
The country’s LP gas distribution companies joined the authorities in the positioning: Grupo Uribe, SoniGas, Combugas, Gas Express Nieto, Gas y Servicio, Gas Metropolitano, Hidrogas and Regio Gas, among others.
