Drug Trafficking and Terror Finance

Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley and Sen. Amy Klobuchar have introduced the 'Combating Money Laundering, Terrorist Finance and Counterfeiting Act,' a bipartisan bill to stiffen U.S. criminal statutes against money laundering tied to drug trafficking and terrorism. Announced Friday, the measure would raise penalties for bulk cash smuggling, update counterfeiting laws for newer technologies, and explicitly extend money‑laundering prohibitions to informal value‑transfer systems often used by cartels and extremist groups. It would also criminalize cross‑border shipment of blank checks to dodge reporting rules and create a new offense for moving funds into or out of the U.S. to violate income‑tax laws. The bill further authorizes wiretaps for currency‑reporting, bulk‑cash, illegal money‑service‑business and counterfeiting cases, and gives the U.S. Secret Service explicit authority to investigate ransomware and unlicensed money‑transmission schemes, changes DEA and FBI officials say are needed as hostile actors exploit complex financial channels. Law‑enforcement groups including the Fraternal Order of Police, National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys, National Association of Police Organizations and National District Attorneys Association have endorsed the proposal, which comes amid the Trump administration’s broader 'war' on cartels and renewed focus on terror finance.