WASHINGTON, USA — Today, the US Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued an Alert on bulk cash smuggling and repatriation by Mexico-based Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs), urging financial institutions to be vigilant to such activity.
The Alert discusses transactions potentially related to the cross-border smuggling of bulk cash from the United States into Mexico and its repatriation into the United States and Mexican financial systems by Mexico-based TCOs. The Alert highlights one of several typologies that TCOs use to launder illicit proceeds generated in the United States through the cross-border movement of cash and how these operations enable the TCOs to place, layer, and integrate their illicit proceeds into the United States and Mexican financial systems where they can be accessed again to fund their criminal enterprises.
“Mexico-based TCOs generate vast sums of illicit proceeds that they launder through a number of schemes, such as bulk cash smuggling and repatriation operations highlighted in this Alert,” said FinCEN director Andrea Gacki. “The United States has zero tolerance for the TCOs’ activities and Treasury, to include FinCEN, is working aggressively to counter these violent organizations. This Alert supports Treasury’s continuing mission to counter TCOs and their illicit activities, and financial institutions are a critical partner in that effort.”
The Alert provides an overview of methodologies associated with these operations, highlights red flag indicators, and reminds financial institutions of their reporting requirements under the Bank Secrecy Act.
This Alert is one of several advisory products that FinCEN has issued to bring awareness to, and counter, TCO-related revenue streams and is consistent with two of the eight national Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism National Priorities.
It is also being issued in support of Executive Order 14157, “Designating Cartels And Other Organizations As Foreign Terrorist Organizations And Specially Designated Global Terrorists” to combat the activities of certain international cartels that threaten the safety of the American people, the security of the United States, and the stability of the international order in the Western Hemisphere.
Questions regarding the contents of this alert should be sent to the FinCEN Regulatory Support Section by submitting an inquiry at www.fincen.gov/contact.
The full alert is available online at FIN-2025-Alert001.
