The U.S. Treasury Department’s announcement that it is targeting three Mexican financial institutions for their alleged roles in laundering proceeds tied to synthetic opioid trafficking marks a turning point, not only in the U.S. financial offensive against fentanyl, but also in the future of U.S.-Mexico security cooperation.

These sanctions, issued under the expanded authority of the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, are the first of their kind and they may herald a more focused approach to choking off the money that makes organized crime so profitable and powerful.

But behind the headlines is a deeper truth: If we are serious about dismantling the financial networks of the cartels, we need more trust and more coordination between government agencies in both countries.

Money laundering is not just a financial crime — it is the lifeblood of drug trafficking organizations. From fentanyl precursors purchased from China to illicit cash sent back through trade-based laundering schemes, the ability of criminal organizations to move, hide, and invest their profits is what allows them to survive.

That is why the bilateral anti-money laundering relationship between the U.S. and Mexico has been, and must continue to be, a cornerstone of the fight against organized crime.

Over the last 20 years, the two governments have built institutional linkages through the High-Level Security Dialogue and the North American Drug Dialogue, shared intelligence through joint task forces and cooperated on regulatory and supervisory alignment.

Yet, revelations like this........

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