OAS Concludes Workshop on Combating Methods of Terrorist Financing
LOS ANGELES – The Organization of the American States (OAS) and the Government of the United States today concluded a workshop in Los Angeles, California for 24 law enforcement officials from South America on combating terrorism financing.
The workshop, organized by the Inter-American Committee on Terrorism (CICTE) of the OAS and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office of the United States, is part of a series of courses designed to fight cross-border cash smuggling.
Beginning on April 18th, the workshop included theoretical sessions, practical exercises and study visits to three of the most important border posts in the United States: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), the Port of Long Beach, and the border post of San Ysidro in San Diego, California.
The program, which has already trained nearly 300 officials specialized in financial crimes, brought 24 prosecutors, analysts, members of financial intelligence units, customs officials and police from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay to Los Angeles to study the investigation and prosecution of cross-border transportation of cash for illegal ends.
The workshop was designed to strengthen strategic and operational capacities to prevent and combat the smuggling of cash in the region, and to improve coordination and cooperation in this area. In addition participants learned from one another through the exchange of “best practices” relative to new techniques of analysis, investigation and prosecution.