Before the 50th anniversary meeting of the United Nations in New York, President Bill Clinton gives a speech proposing new measures to identify and interfere with international drug cartels and money launderers.
“These forces [drug traffickers] jeopardize the global trend toward peace and freedom, undermine fragile new democracies, sap the strength from developing countries, threaten our efforts to build a safer, more prosperous world… Criminal enterprises are moving vast sums of ill-gotten gains through the international financial systems with absolute impunity. We must not allow them to wash the blood off profits from the sale of drugs from terror or organized crimes…
Bill Clinton
Clinton says the U.S. will research and identify countries that are frequently used to launder criminal funds. If any of the countries refuse to adopt anti-laundering measures, the U.S. will take economic sanctions against them and encourage other countries to do the same.
As part of his proposal, Clinton signs an executive order freezing the front companies of drug traffickers and calling for the identification of all individuals involved in Colombian drug trafficking and any legitimate businesses that have ties to Colombian trafficking organizations.
Clinton also asks the Attorney General and the Secretaries of State and Treasury to allow law enforcement to investigate international organized crime in the U.S.
