Key Takeaways
- • The U.S. Department of State announced $5 million for the Pacific Alliance for Combating Illicit Finance and Cybercrime (PACIFIC) program to help Pacific islands detect the use of digital assets in criminal operations.
- • Over $44 million was allocated to a cross-regional response to Pacific criminal networks, with nearly $18.2 million aimed at strengthening preparedness of Pacific nations and disrupting narcotics-linked money flows.
- • U.S. federal agencies will train Pacific officers in cryptocurrency tracing, beneficial-ownership investigations, and digital forensics.
- • PACIFIC will help update regional anti-money laundering and cybercrime laws to align with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and Budapest Convention standards.
- • The initiative was announced at the first U.S.-Pacific Islands Conference of Police Ministers (COPMIN) as part of a broader effort against organized crime.
Summary
The U.S. Department of State announced a series of investments targeting organized crime in the Pacific region at the first U.S.-Pacific Islands Conference of Police Ministers (COPMIN), according to the article. Among them, $5 million was earmarked for the Pacific Alliance for Combating Illicit Finance and Cybercrime (PACIFIC) program, which focuses on equipping Pacific island nations with tools to detect the use of digital assets in criminal operations.
The broader package includes more than $44 million for a cross-regional response to criminal networks. This effort covers securing the maritime Pacific domain, building partnership effectiveness, and disrupting the flow of money managed by criminal groups in the area. Separately, nearly $18.2 million was directed to enhancing the preparedness of Pacific nations and detecting financial flows that support narcotics groups operating in the region.
According to the State Department Office of the Spokesman, U.S. federal agencies will train officers in cryptocurrency tracing, beneficial-ownership investigations, and digital forensics. PACIFIC will also support updates to anti-money laundering and cybercrime laws so they conform to Financial Action Task Force and Budapest Convention standards. The department framed the networks as a single criminal enterprise and said disruption requires action at every link, beginning where drugs and precursors first enter legitimate trade.
The article links the initiative to the administration's broader focus on cartels, including the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico, which it says have used digital assets to launder proceeds from narcotics sales. The State Department also characterized PACIFIC as protecting the trusted digital economy that U.S. cloud and telecommunications programs are helping build across the region.
The broader package includes more than $44 million for a cross-regional response to criminal networks. This effort covers securing the maritime Pacific domain, building partnership effectiveness, and disrupting the flow of money managed by criminal groups in the area. Separately, nearly $18.2 million was directed to enhancing the preparedness of Pacific nations and detecting financial flows that support narcotics groups operating in the region.
According to the State Department Office of the Spokesman, U.S. federal agencies will train officers in cryptocurrency tracing, beneficial-ownership investigations, and digital forensics. PACIFIC will also support updates to anti-money laundering and cybercrime laws so they conform to Financial Action Task Force and Budapest Convention standards. The department framed the networks as a single criminal enterprise and said disruption requires action at every link, beginning where drugs and precursors first enter legitimate trade.
The article links the initiative to the administration's broader focus on cartels, including the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico, which it says have used digital assets to launder proceeds from narcotics sales. The State Department also characterized PACIFIC as protecting the trusted digital economy that U.S. cloud and telecommunications programs are helping build across the region.
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