ICE HSI Bulk Cash Smuggling Task Force seizes $1.6 million in 2015
COLUMBUS, Ohio — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Columbus Bulk Cash Smuggling Task Force seized approximately $1.6 million as a result criminal investigations.
Since 2012, the task force has seized more than $8,924,272.60 in illicit proceeds from criminal organizations. In addition to the 2015 cash seizures, 136 were arrested and 27 firearms were seized. Seized contraband included: 58,901 grams of cocaine, 11, 479 grams of heroin, 429 pounds of marijuana and 243 units of illegal prescription pills.
"When we eliminate a criminal organization's profits, it significantly hinders their ability to commit crimes in our communities," said Marlon Miller, HSI special agent in charge for Michigan and Ohio. "Each year, our task force continues to aggressively target criminal organizations' cash supply and cut off pipelines that support a myriad of other criminal activity. I applaud the talented personnel whose hard work produces these significant results year after year."
"By putting a roadblock in the way of smugglers trying to move large amounts of illicit drugs and cash, we are helping to protect citizens in Ohio and many other states," said Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine. "With our regional task forces, the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission (OOCIC), and other local and state agencies working with HSI, criminals should know they have nowhere to hide."
"This data illustrates the temptation for criminal organizations to attempt to conduct illegal activities in Ohio due to our geographical location," said Franklin County Sheriff Zach Scott. "It is evident that federal, state and local law enforcement must continue to strengthen our relationships and combine resources to maximize effectiveness. This is important work."
"The Columbus Division of Police is proud to serve as a member of the Columbus Bulk Cash Smuggling Task Force," said Deputy Chief Michael Woods. "We are committed to taking illegal drugs off the streets, locking up the traffickers, and seizing their proceeds. Safeguarding our community is a top priority for us and the work of the task force supports that effort."
Ohio's well-developed highway network links the Northeast to the Midwest, ensuring the free flow of legitimate travel. This same corridor is also used by transnational criminals who use a network of sophisticated smuggling operations and tactics to move illicit proceeds in, around and out of the United States.
The 500-mile radius of Columbus, where 50 percent of the United States population resides, is a hub for illegal activity, with trafficking in illegal narcotics, weapons and women and children as sex slaves.
Led by HSI, the OOCIC task force is staffed by ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Columbus Police Department, the Franklin County Sheriff's Department, and the Gahanna Police Department. Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Ohio National Guard Counter-Drug Program. Cases are prosecuted at both the federal and state level.
HSI's National Bulk Cash Smuggling Center is a key partner for the Columbus task force. The center assists with day-to-day operations and intelligence gathering and analysis.
As part of the effort to combat bulk cash smuggling, ICE established the Bulk Cash Smuggling Center in 2009. The center is an operational, intelligence driven investigative unit that combats bulk cash smuggling from both national and international perspectives. It disrupts pipelines used to move currency derived from illicit activity including drugs, weapons, human trafficking, foreign political corruption and contraband.
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