Treasury Department Announces Launch of Counter-Fentanyl Strike Force

The U.S. Treasury Department announced this week it is launching a Counter-Fentanyl Strike Force to combat the trafficking of illicit fentanyl, CNN reports.

The Strike Force brings together personnel, expertise, intelligence and resources across key Treasury offices. It is jointly led by the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence and IRS Criminal Investigation. The task force will analyze the financial flows of trafficking organizations, especially those that use cryptocurrency to move funds. It will also work with local law enforcement in areas most affected by the fentanyl epidemic. It will use financial institution records to look for transactions related to smuggling of substances and humans.

“The Treasury Department’s Counter-Fentanyl Strike Force will allow us to bring the Department’s unrivaled expertise in fighting financial crime to bear against this deadly epidemic. Treasury will use every tool at its disposal to disrupt the ability of drug traffickers to peddle this poison in our country,” Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen said in a news release.