Since 9/11, DHS has significantly expanded its ability to track and disrupt terrorist financing through combating bulk cash smuggling.

In August 2009, ICE established the congressionally mandated National Bulk Cash Smuggling Center (BCSC), a 24/7 operations and intelligence facility which supports federal, state, local, and international law enforcement authorities and serves as a central source for information and support to identify, investigate, and disrupt bulk cash smuggling activities. 

Since its inception in August 2009, this Center has initiated 590 criminal investigations and has provided outreach to over 21,000 state, federal, and international partners.

A bulk-cash smuggling initiative which focused on intercepting southbound currency smuggling, from ICE called Operation Firewall, has led to 1,444 of arrests and the seizure of more than $621 million, including $271 million seized overseas.

Another ICE initiative called Cornerstone Outreach focuses on detecting and closing gaps within U.S. financial, trade, and transportation sectors.  It has resulted in more than 950 criminal investigations that have led to approximately:

• 290 arrests
• 270 indictments
• More than 228 convictions
• The seizure of nearly $157 million. 

At the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in fiscal years 2009 through 2011, over $104 million in illegal currency departing the U.S. at ports of entry was seized, nearly $97 million of which was seized along the Southwest Border.