Mica from a translated article published on September 24, 2023, in edition 1078 of the weekly Ríodoce.
In the ‘Strategy to Combat Illicit Opioids’, the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations reveals that its staff have offices throughout Mexico and will increase presence, collaboration, and investigations to combat drug smuggling.
Agents from the Department of Homeland Security’s Investigative Agency (HSI) operate offices across Mexico to combat the production and trafficking of fentanyl to the United States. According to the “Strategy to Combat Illicit Opioids” document released last Tuesday, September 19, HSI agents are strategically stationed in 91 offices in 54 countries to detect and halt the production and trafficking chain of fentanyl, including Mexico, where most of the fentanyl entering the U.S. is produced.
HSI aims to achieve these objectives through its strong international presence, comprising hundreds of special HSI agents and national foreign service investigators. These agents form part of the Transnational Criminal Investigative Units (TCIU), HSI’s primary mechanism for preventing the trafficking of chemical precursors, shutting down illicit fentanyl labs, and arresting drug traffickers.
TCIUs are composed of law enforcement officers from the host country, including customs and immigration officials, who undergo a rigorous vetting process. The TCIUs enhance the host country’s ability to investigate and prosecute those involved in transnational criminal activities, often resulting in disruptions to criminal enterprises also involved in illegal activities in the U.S.
In a morning conference on May 31, a day after meeting with White House Security Advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador rejected U.S. interference in Mexico’s fight against fentanyl. He cited Article 89 of Mexico’s Constitution, which defines the country’s foreign policy: non-intervention, self-determination of peoples, and peaceful resolution of disputes.
The Homeland Security Investigations Agency plans to expand its Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit in Mexico to enable additional activities against illicit opioids. The strategy also includes using the Bulk Cash Smuggling Center (BCSC) to combat cash smuggling by Mexican cartels and other Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCO).
The BCSC operates strategic programs leveraging advanced data analytics, inter-agency partnerships, and law enforcement technology systems to identify complex money laundering networks. In the 2023 fiscal year, HSI will emphasize the regular publication of specific intelligence products for money laundering and the movement of illicit assets.
The Department of Homeland Security Investigations plans to create the Cross-Border Financial Crimes Center (CBFCC), which will be a partnership between U.S. federal agencies, foreign agencies, regulatory organizations, banks, and other financial institutions. The aim is to achieve better information exchange on financial crimes and the illicit use of cryptocurrencies.
At the border with Mexico, staffing will be increased to detect narcotics entering by land, air, and sea. Vehicle smuggling remains a primary method for illegally moving illicit opioids into the United States. This is probably the expanded operation occurring or being built up in El Paso.
The document states that while most chemical precursors used by Mexican cartels to manufacture drugs come from Asia, some are sent from the United States. HSI will establish the Chemical Industry Outreach Project to proactively engage domestic chemical companies that export legitimate chemical precursors to Mexico and Central America to counter this trend.
Operations will also be expanded to dismantle the supply chains of chemical precursors from Asia and Central America. The strategy also focuses on working with Mexican authorities to strengthen operations to stop the flow of illegal weapons exports.
The strategy to combat illicit opioids is framed in four objectives: reduce the international supply of illicit opioids; reduce the domestic supply of illicit opioids; target facilitators of illicit opioid trafficking: illicit finances, cybercrimes, and arms smuggling; and engage in outreach activities with the private sector.