At the direct instruction of President Donald Trump, the U.S. Treasury Department has launched a sweeping financial enforcement operation aimed at dismantling the money pipelines that sustain terrorist cartels, drug traffickers, and human smuggling networks operating along the southern border.

The initiative, led by the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, is known as the Data-Driven Border Operation. It focuses on more than 100 money services businesses located along the U.S.-Mexico border, a sector long identified as vulnerable to cartel-linked money laundering and illicit cash movement.

Using advanced data analytics, FinCEN examined over one million currency transaction reports and approximately 87,000 suspicious activity reports to identify patterns consistent with cartel financing. The results have already produced six active investigations, multiple referrals to the IRS for further action, and more than 50 compliance letters warning businesses of potential violations and enforcement exposure.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent outlined the operation in a public video statement, emphasizing that the administration is employing every available financial and enforcement tool to neutralize transnational criminal organizations. He stressed that cartels do not operate solely with weapons and violence, but with financial networks that allow them to launder profits, fund expansion, and corrupt institutions on both sides of the border.

The operation reflects a broader Trump administration strategy to treat cartel activity as a national security threat rather than a routine criminal issue. By targeting the financial infrastructure that enables trafficking, the Treasury Department aims to disrupt operations before drugs cross the border, before victims are trafficked, and before violence spills into American communities.

Officials say this data-driven approach allows federal agencies to act faster and more precisely, strengthening border security while protecting the integrity of the U.S. financial system. The message from the administration is clear: under President Trump’s leadership, the United States will not serve as a safe harbor for cartel money, and those facilitating illicit finance will face aggressive scrutiny and enforcement.