Operation ATLAS: Targeting Illegal Cash Couriers Worldwide
Today Secretary Napolitano and World Customs Organization Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya joined together in Brussels to announce the results of an unprecedented international law enforcement operation that led to the seizure of more than $3.5 million in smuggled cash over a five day period.
Dubbed Operation ATLAS (Assess, Target, Link, Analyze and Share), this groundbreaking investigation brought together law enforcement agencies from over 80 countries worldwide to target and disrupt cash couriers--people employed by criminal organizations to move their illicit funds across international borders.
Operation ATLAS focused on identifying these illicit cash couriers by employing several different methods to detect cash carried in baggage, on travelers and in shipments aboard commercial flights at designated airports. ATLAS also promoted the sharing of information and intelligence among customs agencies. In the United States, this operation was led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with participation from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and coordinated by the World Customs Organization.
Operation ATLAS is the latest and largest example of how increased international cooperation among law enforcement and customs agencies has resulted in the identification of new smuggling routes and methods used by criminal organizations throughout the world.
In September, ICE worked closely with law enforcement partners in Colombia and Mexico to uncover more than $41 million smuggled in shipping containers bound for Colombia. And in July, an ICE-led multilateral operation targeting cash couriers seized more than $3.5 million and detected an additional $4.2 million in undeclared currency at ports of entry around the globe.
This level of multilateral coordination is truly unprecedented and illustrates how the Department and our international allies are working together to shut down criminal organizations’ old ways of doing business.
John Morton
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Dubbed Operation ATLAS (Assess, Target, Link, Analyze and Share), this groundbreaking investigation brought together law enforcement agencies from over 80 countries worldwide to target and disrupt cash couriers--people employed by criminal organizations to move their illicit funds across international borders.
Operation ATLAS focused on identifying these illicit cash couriers by employing several different methods to detect cash carried in baggage, on travelers and in shipments aboard commercial flights at designated airports. ATLAS also promoted the sharing of information and intelligence among customs agencies. In the United States, this operation was led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with participation from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and coordinated by the World Customs Organization.Operation ATLAS is the latest and largest example of how increased international cooperation among law enforcement and customs agencies has resulted in the identification of new smuggling routes and methods used by criminal organizations throughout the world.
In September, ICE worked closely with law enforcement partners in Colombia and Mexico to uncover more than $41 million smuggled in shipping containers bound for Colombia. And in July, an ICE-led multilateral operation targeting cash couriers seized more than $3.5 million and detected an additional $4.2 million in undeclared currency at ports of entry around the globe.
This level of multilateral coordination is truly unprecedented and illustrates how the Department and our international allies are working together to shut down criminal organizations’ old ways of doing business.
John Morton
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Labels: CBP, ICE, international
posted by Homeland Security Blog Team at
5:30 PM
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8 Comments:
hola amigos del departamento de home land security espero que que se encuentren bien en sus posiciones de trabajo a lo largo y ancho de la frontera de mexico ustedes saben que estan siempre en la linea de fuego en contra del trafico humano como tambien el trafico de drogas medecina armas y alchol como tambien tabaco la frontera de sonora con arizona todavia no esta bien costudiada por ustedes los elementos de la policia judicial como del estado o polisias municipales deven de ser investigados cuando vienen de viajes a los estados unidos con sus familiares no es de confiar con elementos de las fuerzas polisiales ya sea estatal municipal como de transito y las personas que estan altanto de la cumunicacion radial de patruyas es estados unidos el que deve de preparar los elementos de mexico para poder protejer sus fronteras de sonora como arizona para poder confiar en una frontera segura nesesitan mucho trabajo pra poder investigar cada elemento de el estado de sonora mexico y sera una frontera segura el ejercito de mexico es de respetar su trabajo pueto que reamente si estan haciendo su trabajo como lo manda el govierno federal revisar los trabajadores del estado de sonora todos los puestos desde los municipios hasta los del seguro social todo el que este relacionado con el estado de sonora y su personal grasias cuiden mucho la frontera de sonora y arizona al cien porciento
By
Anonymous, At
November 14, 2009 2:25 PM
Happy to see that you are doing things to protect us. Smuggling is the beginning to drugs and drugs to thieves. It has to be done
By
Pari en ligne, At
January 4, 2010 12:56 PM
Seizing $3.5 million over three days should be regarded as a good start and not the end of the operation. Denying criminal organisations the ability to benefit from their illegal activities by moving their money around is the best way to stop them.
By
Brian Barghout, At
January 16, 2010 10:57 AM
i like it."Happy to see that you are doing things to protect us. Smuggling is the beginning to drugs and drugs to thieves. It has to be done" nice post thank you.
By
gunz online, At
January 31, 2010 5:36 PM
where there is no mlm money there can not be a product therefore this puts a damper on the dealers business substantially
By
Cody Tessmer, At
February 3, 2010 4:12 PM
Wow, Lot's of Illegal Cash couriers found :)
By
Webmaster Forum, At
February 8, 2010 9:01 AM
I don't know what happens to this money ?
But I hope it's put to good use like homing the homeless feeding those that need feeding
and putting back together the lives that these criminals destroy
By
Steve, At
February 11, 2010 7:19 AM
I have always wondered where all that cash goes??? It may be a drop in the bucket but it could help pay down the national debt or better yet fund programs that help our youth from starting the drug habit in the first place.
By
Steven b, At
February 11, 2010 5:53 PM
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