The Steady Drip: Treasury Flags $5 Billion in Suspected Smuggling Activity (Connecting the Dots: The U.S. Department of the Treasury, The IRS, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia & The Carnegie/Soros Network)

Treasury Flags $5 Billion in Suspected Smuggling Activity (Connecting the Dots: The U.S. Department of the Treasury, The IRS, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia & The Carnegie/Soros Network)

Newsmax.com

By Nicole Weatherholtz | Thursday, 13 August 2026 07:55 PM EDT

Friday, August 14, 2026

https://www.newsmax.com/finance/streettalk/treasury-fincen-human-smuggling/2026/08/13/id/1266048/

Nearly $5 billion in suspicious financial activity was potentially tied to human smuggling over a three-year period, according to a new Treasury Department report that highlights the vast sums of money moving through smuggling networks operating across the U.S. border.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, said financial institutions filed 67,540 reports involving suspected human smuggling from 2023 through 2025.

The money often moved along well-known migration routes, while large amounts of cash were handled near the U.S. southwest border. Investigators also found frequent transactions between people who had no verifiable family relationship.

"Many human smuggling networks generate profit for larger transnational criminal organizations, including Mexico-based drug cartels," FinCEN Director Andrea Gacki said in a statement. "Suspicious activity flagged by financial institutions provides critical information, and we will continue to work closely with both the private sector and law enforcement to dismantle human smuggling networks and protect our borders."

The number of reports involving suspected human smuggling reached its highest point in 2024 before falling 62% in 2025.

The United States was the most common location for people named in the reports, followed by Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Colombia.

Money-transfer businesses accounted for about 97% of the reports. They flagged customers sending money in ways that did not match their usual behavior, transfers to locations along migration routes, and transactions that appeared deliberately broken into smaller amounts to avoid reporting requirements.

In 59% of those reports, the sender and recipient had no verifiable family connection, according to FinCEN.

Bank filings represented about 3% of the total data, but the transactions they identified accounted for roughly 61% of the nearly $5 billion in suspicious activity.

Among the warning signs were accounts receiving money from numerous people and customers making cash transactions that appeared designed to stay below reporting thresholds.

Travel agencies also surfaced in the analysis. FinCEN said some appeared to be sham businesses arranging travel for migrants, while legitimate agencies may have unknowingly helped facilitate smuggling-related activity.

The findings were based on reports financial institutions submit to federal authorities when they detect transactions that could be connected to illegal activity.

Connecting the Dots:

Xerox Corporation is a U.S. investor in Guatemala.

Mary Agnes Wilderotter is a director at the Xerox Corporation, a director at Catalyst and a member of the Belizean Grove.

Ursula M. Burns is the chair & CEO for the Xerox Corporation and a director at Catalyst.

Anne M. Mulcahy was the chairman & CEO for the Xerox Corporation and a director at Catalyst.

Ann M. Fudge is a director at Catalyst and a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Charles O. Prince III is a director at the Xerox Corporation and was a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Lee H. Hamilton is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and a co-chair for the Independent Task Force on Immigration and America's Future.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Ted Lieu was honored with the Carnegie Corporation of New York's Great Immigrants Award, has represented California's 36th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives since 2023 and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Astrid S. Tuminez was a program officer at the Carnegie Corporation of New York and is the 7th President of the Utah Valley University (Charlie Kirk Shooting).

Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society and is a board member for the International Crisis Group.

Ernesto Zedillo was a board member for the International Crisis Group and the president of Mexico.

Carlos Pascual was the VP for the Brookings Institution (think tank), and a U.S. ambassador for Mexico.

John D. Negroponte was a U.S. ambassador for Mexico, a U.S. ambassador for Honduras and an EVP for McGraw Hill Financial Inc.

Pedro Aspe was the secretary of the treasury for Mexico, and a director at McGraw Hill Financial Inc.

Lois Dickson Fitt was a director at McGraw Hill Financial Inc., a guest scholar at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and is Susan E. Rice’s mother.

Susan E. Rice is Lois Dickson Fitt’s daughter, the White House national security adviser for the Barack Obama administration and was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Vernon E. Jordan Jr. is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), a senior counsel for Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP and married to Ann Dibble Jordan.

Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP was the lobby firm for Colombia.

Ann Dibble Jordan is married to Vernon E. Jordan Jr., an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and was a director at Catalyst.

Ann M. Fudge is a director at Catalyst and a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Mary Agnes Wilderotter is a director at Catalyst, a director at the Xerox Corporation and a member of the Belizean Grove.

Ursula M. Burns is a director at Catalyst and the chair & CEO for the Xerox Corporation.

Mary Agnes Wilderotter is a director at Catalyst, a director at the Xerox Corporation and a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development.

Xerox Corporation is a U.S. investor in Guatemala.

Paul A. Allaire was the chairman & CEO for the Xerox Corporation and a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development.

Letitia James is the chair for the Committee on Economic Development and the Attorney General of New York.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Committee for Economic Development.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society and is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Charles O. Rossotti is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank) and was a commissioner for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is a division of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Timothy D. Adams was an undersecretary for the U.S. Department of the Treasury and is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

David D. Aufhauser was a general counsel for the U.S. Department of the Treasury and is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

James A. Baker III was a secretary for the U.S. Department of the Treasury and is an honorary director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

Kenneth W. Dam was a deputy secretary for the U.S. Department of the Treasury and is a lifetime director for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

Stuart E. Eizenstat was a deputy secretary for the U.S. Department of the Treasury and is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

Robert M. Kimmitt was a deputy secretary for the U.S. Department of the Treasury and is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

George P. Shultz was a secretary for the U.S. Department of the Treasury and is an honorary director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

Herbert M. Allison Jr. was an assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

Teresa M. Ressel was an assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, Jonathan Soros’s father and was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the International Rescue Committee and the Roosevelt Institute.

Jonathan Soros was the vice chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society, is George Soros’s son and a senior fellow at the Roosevelt Institute.

James Roosevelt Jr. is a governor at the Roosevelt Institute and was an associate commissioner for the Social Security Administration (SSA).

Gwendolyn S. King was a commissioner for the Social Security Administration (SSA) and is a founding partner at the Directors' Council.

Michele J. Hooper is a founding partner at the Directors' Council and a member of the Belizean Grove.

Mary Agnes Wilderotter is a member of the Belizean Grove and a director at the Xerox Corporation.

Xerox Corporation is a U.S. investor in Guatemala.

Deborah L. Wince-Smith is a member of the Belizean Grove and was a member of the IRS Oversight Board.

IRS Oversight Board is the citizen’s board for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Henrietta Holsman Fore is a member of the Belizean Grove and a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Belizean_Grove is the equivalent to the male-only social group, the Bohemian Club.

Henry A. Kissinger was a member of the Bohemian Club, a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), an overseer at the International Rescue Committee and the founder of Kissinger Associates, Inc.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank) and the International Rescue Committee.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Timothy F. Geithner is a director at the International Rescue Committee, was an overseer at the International Rescue Committee, a researcher for Kissinger Associates, Inc. and a secretary for the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is a division of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Charles O. Rossotti was a commissioner for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations and was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the International Rescue Committee.

Brent Scowcroft was a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank) and the vice chairman for Kissinger Associates and a friend of Henry A. Kissinger.

Henry A. Kissinger was a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), a member of the Bohemian Club, an overseer at the International Rescue Committee and the founder of Kissinger Associates, Inc.

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is a division of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

J. Stapleton Roy was a U.S. ambassador for China and a vice chairman for Kissinger Associates, Inc. and is a trustee at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think tank).

Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think tank) and the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think tank).

George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, a board member for the International Crisis Group and was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think tank) and the Brookings Institution (think tank).