By Marc Weinstein, Senior Program Manager, Exchanges, Global Ties U.S.
In September, Global Ties U.S. and Global Ties Miami, a Community-Based Member, collaborated on implementing a study tour on Anti-Money Laundering Task Forces for members of Mexican law enforcement as part of the Police Professionalization Exchange Program (PPEP).
PPEP participants at the FBI headquarters in Washington, DC.
The week-long program brought the participants first to Washington, DC, where Global Ties U.S. arranged a series of meetings with key federal agencies. Next, the participants went to Miami, FL, where Global Ties Miami coordinated meetings with local law enforcement and representatives of the financial sector.
The purpose of the Anti-Money Laundering Task Forces study tour was for participants to meet with counterparts in the U.S. and learn about best practices for the establishment and operation of inter-agency task forces to combat money laundering and financial crime.
Participants were drawn from a range of agencies and roles in Mexico, including prosecutors, regulators, and investigators. Meetings were arranged with U.S. federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the Miami-Dade Police Department.
Participants gather for a meeting at the Florida International Bankers Association in Miami.
Due to multiple natural disasters—Hurricane Irma in southern Florida and an earthquake in central Mexico—several participants were forced to withdraw from the program as their agencies required all hands on deck for clean-up and recovery efforts in the aftermath. Even though the program in Miami was thrown into flux, excellent work by Global Ties Miami allowed for seamless implementation with a modified program for the remaining participants.
This was the seventh study tour administered by Global Ties U.S. in 2017 as part of the PPEP project, with two more tours scheduled for the remainder of the year. We’re already looking ahead to study tours for 2018, so stay tuned for a call for proposals to host those groups!
Participants show off their certificates of completion.
About the Police Professionalization Exchange Program (PPEP)
PPEP is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement as part of the Merida Initiative, which is a partnership between the U.S. and Mexico to fight organized crime and associated violence while furthering respect for human rights and the rule of law. Learn more: bit.ly/PoliceExchange