Justice Department Continues Aggressive Prosecutions of Transnational Criminal Organizations and Their Subsidiaries

The Department of Justice today released a report detailing the convictions of members of transnational criminal organizations during the third quarter of the Fiscal Year 2017. The report highlights this Administration and the Justice Department’s aggressive pursuit of criminal groups seeking to cause Americans harm.

On Feb. 9, 2017, President Donald J. Trump issued an Executive Order on Enforcing Federal Law with Respect to Transnational Criminal Organizations and Preventing International Trafficking. The Department of Justice is working together in partnership with the Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to implement Executive Order 13773.

Included in the report are 506 convictions in cases targeting transnational criminal organizations in the third quarter, together with additional reporting from the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces for the second quarter. This brings the number of convictions in the second quarter to 754. In all, the Department of Justice has reported 1,260 convictions of members of transnational criminal organizations and their subsidiaries since Jan. 1, 2017.

“At a time when homicide rates are up in 27 of our 35 biggest cities and violent crime is rising, the Trump administration has made it a top priority to deter and reduce violent crime through enforcing our laws,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “One of the gravest threats we face is from transnational criminal organizations, and the Department of Justice is taking on this threat, convicting more than 1,260 gang members already this year. These convictions send a clear message to gang members and would-be criminals through this country: we will find you and bring you to justice.”

The accompanying report, provided in accordance with Section 3 (g) of the Executive Order, provides information pertaining to the number of convictions in investigations involving transnational criminal organizations as reported by the Department of Justice, for the period beginning April 1, 2017 and ending June 30, 2017.