Treasury Launches New FinCEN Exchange Series to Combat Narcotics and Drug Trafficking Organizations, Visits El Paso Port of Entry
June 29, 2025 / Source: FinCEN
EL PASO—This week, as part of its public-private information sharing Exchange program, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) launched a new series entitled “Combating and Obstructing Money Movements Associated with Narcotics and Drug Trafficking Organizations” (COMMAND). COMMAND mobilizes community and regional financial institutions as frontline partners in the fight against illicit finance to combat narcotics and drug trafficking organizations, including cartels.
“Cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) have evolved into complex, adaptive threats that destabilize entire regions,” FinCEN Director Andrea Gacki said. “Their activities, including human trafficking and facilitating the flow of deadly fentanyl into the United States, pose a direct challenge to our national security. Collaboration between the public and private sector is essential to combatting this threat. We’re also very grateful for the collaboration and partnership with the Texas Department of Banking in launching the COMMAND FinCEN Exchange series in Texas.”
FinCEN’s Deputy Director Jimmy Kirby led COMMAND events on June 24 and June 27 in McAllen and El Paso, Texas, respectively. Because of their proximity to the U.S. southwest border, these cities are exposed to cartels and other TCO activity, including narcotics trafficking, human trafficking and smuggling, and violent crimes.
As part of the launch, the FinCEN delegation traveled to a key port of entry in El Paso and met with local, state, and federal law enforcement, further deepening relationships and support of critical law enforcement investigations through the use of Bank Secrecy Act information.
This is FinCEN’s second FinCEN Exchange event in El Paso, Texas in less than a year. COMMAND supports Executive Order 14157, which designates cartels and other organizations as foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists.
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The FinCEN Exchange program is a statutorily authorized voluntary public-private partnership that convenes relevant stakeholders, including law enforcement agencies and financial institutions. The program aims to protect our national security and our citizens from harm by combatting money laundering and its related crimes, including terrorism, through public-private dialogue that encourages, enables, and acknowledges industry focus on high-value and high-impact activities. The program began in 2017 and was codified as part of the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020.
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