DALLAS — United States Attorney Ryan Raybould and Criminal Chief Fabio Leonardi of the Northern District of Texas traveled to Guatemala this week to expand cooperative efforts with Guatemalan justice‑sector partners to prosecute transnational cartels and disrupt the financial networks that support them.
During the visit, Raybould met with the President of Guatemala, the Attorney General, vetted investigative units, Guatemalan prosecutors and leadership from the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The trip focused on strengthening joint investigations targeting cartel money‑movement systems, including fraud networks, bulk‑cash operations, trade‑based laundering, cryptocurrency channels and other financial mechanisms that cartels use to move illicit proceeds across borders.
“Cartels are not just violent criminal organizations—they are global financial machines built to exploit international borders. And We will not allow those borders to protect them,’ said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. “Our message is unequivocal: we will follow their money, expose their networks and work with our Guatemalan partners to bring every facilitator, broker and launderer to justice. If you move cartel money, we will find you.”
Officials emphasized that Dallas–Fort Worth is a critical choke point in cartel finance investigations due to its rapidly expanding financial sector, central transportation hub and concentration of federal agencies specializing in financial crime, cyber operations, cryptocurrency tracing and money‑laundering enforcement.
The Department of Justice and Guatemalan authorities reaffirmed their commitment to coordinated operations, expanded evidence sharing, and joint prosecution strategies targeting cartel financial infrastructures.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Northern District of Texas — U.S. Department of Justice press release.