The U.S. Treasury’s FinCEN has issued a high-priority alert (FIN-2025-Alert001) concerning bulk cash smuggling and repatriation schemes orchestrated by Mexico-based transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). These cartels are increasingly leveraging legitimate-seeming Mexican businesses and armoured car services to reintroduce illicit U.S.-generated proceeds into both U.S. and Mexican financial systems.
The primary tactic involves smuggling large quantities of U.S. dollars—generated from criminal operations—into Mexico via vehicles, commercial shipments, and couriers. Once across the border, these funds are funnelled through a network of Mexican businesses and armoured car services that operate under a veneer of legitimacy. The laundered cash is then repatriated to the U.S. banking system through armoured vehicle deliveries and deposit accounts, thereby obscuring its illicit origin.
Financial Crime Implications:
- Criminal organizations are circumventing regulatory oversight by leveraging cross-border commercial partnerships and exploiting weak points in cash handling and transportation protocols.
- U.S. financial institutions may unknowingly facilitate the reintegration of illicit funds into the formal economy if due diligence and monitoring are insufficient.
- These operations directly threaten U.S. national security, prompting FinCEN to link this alert with Executive Order 14157, which designates certain cartels as national security threats.
Call to Action:
FinCEN strongly urges financial institutions to:
- Enhance scrutiny of cash repatriation from Mexico, especially where armored car services or unusual deposit patterns are involved.
- Implement targeted transaction monitoring based on typologies provided in the alert.
- Include the keyword “FIN-2025-BULKCASH” in the narrative of any related Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs).
This alert reinforces AML/CFT priorities and urges the financial sector to act decisively in disrupting cross-border criminal finance ecosystems.
Refer here to advisory: FIN-2025-Alert001