Asia and the Pacific Region

Background

OPDAT’s Asia and Pacific programs focus on combating transnational organized crime including terrorism, terrorism financing, trafficking of drugs, humans and weapons, money laundering, cybercrime, natural resource crimes, and related transnational offenses. OPDAT aims to promote close coordination between justice sector practitioners in host countries with U.S. government prosecutors, police, and judges to enhance cooperation in transnational cases, keep Americans safe, and to fight crime before it reaches our shores.   OPDAT programs are funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureaus of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, Counterterrorism, and International Security and Nonproliferation, and the nature of each program varies due to host countries’ justice sector capacities and the bilateral relationship. 

Programs

China: OPDAT facilitates cooperation between U.S. and Chinese criminal justice sector stakeholders in combatting transnational crimes with a priority focus on disrupting trafficking of fentanyl, precursor chemicals, and narcotics, and the laundering of criminal proceeds by cartels, Chinese organized crime, and other transnational organized crime groups. OPDAT promotes this cooperation through targeted technical assistance and case coordination on U.S. and China-based criminal cases, along with consultations to exchange ideas and best practices. OPDAT fosters dialogue and promotes long-term criminal justice reform consistent with international standards by providing expertise on criminal law and procedure, and law enforcement cooperation to jurists, academics, defense lawyers, law students and, when possible, Chinese government officials.  OPDAT’s work in China serves as an important counterbalance to the Chinese Communist Party by promoting U.S. interests in the financial sector and principals of the U.S. justice system.

Counterproliferation: OPDAT assists in preventing the accumulation and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and illicit transfers of conventional weapons in the Philippines. Through technical assistance, OPDAT closely coordinates with U.S. law enforcement agencies, the Philippines Strategic Trade Management Office, the Philippines Department of Justice, and other agencies to combat the financing of weapons proliferation, strengthen export controls, and prevent the transfer of sensitive technology.

Bangladesh: OPDAT works with justice sector practitioners in Bangladesh to ensure that complex transnational crime cases involving money laundering, terrorism financing, cybercrime, and trafficking and smuggling of fentanyl, narcotics, and humans, are prosecuted to the fullest extent. OPDAT’s close coordination with practitioners also strengthens Bangladesh’s disruption and response to terrorism and terrorist networks that threaten and harm people, properties, and interests of the United States.  OPDAT, with strong support of the State Department, is informing the efforts of the interim Bangladesh Government and justice sector in their pursuit of the creation of a career prosecution service.

Indonesia: OPDAT works with police, prosecutors, judges, and other key government partners to combat transnational terrorists who threaten U.S. lives and economic interests. OPDAT provides assistance to Indonesia’s justice practitioners to disrupt fentanyl and narcotics trafficking by transnational criminals, and their concealing of criminal proceeds in the U.S., and their involvement and profiting from human trafficking. Through OPDAT’s assistance, Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office has established special units on cybercrime and terrorism that have strengthened protections to Americans. Also, with the support of OPDAT, Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission recovered $6 million in 2022 in corruption proceeds that were laundered from Indonesia to the United States. OPDAT has been a leader in bringing about institutional changes in court security, including the passage of the Supreme Court’s first regulation on courthouse security, issued in November 2020, and through its positive relationship with the judiciary, successfully sought justice for U.S. victims. OPDAT prevents terrorist financing from infecting the U.S. financial system and advocates for U.S. leadership in regional security to counter malign influences. Additional OPDAT priorities include improved international cooperation, interagency information sharing, coordination between the public and private sectors, asset tracing and recovery, and digital evidence.

Malaysia: OPDAT’s counterterrorism technical assistance in Malaysia emphasizes   regional and U.S. coordination between police and prosecutors; evidence-driven investigations, resulting in successful prosecutions; effective and efficient trials and appellate proceedings; strengthened court security measures; and justice sector reforms enhancing asset forfeiture and border security regimes. OPDAT leads these efforts to cripple ISIS recruitment and radicalization, fundraising by Hamas and Hezbollah, and narco-terrorism money laundering for cartels to protect Americans and reduce threats before they reach U.S. borders.

Mongolia: OPDAT provides technical assistance to prosecutors, investigators, and financial intelligence analysts to combat money laundering, financial fraud, and related crimes fueled by rampant corruption in Mongolia.  OPDAT’s work with Mongolian authorities also strengthen their asset recovery and financial investigative techniques to seize and secure criminal assets concealed in the U.S. and promote cooperation between the U.S. and Mongolia in criminal cases and asset recovery. OPDAT also promotes interagency and international cooperation and facilitates peer-to-peer partnerships between Mongolian and U.S. judges.

Nepal: OPDAT assists Nepal with investigations and prosecutions involving trafficking of drugs, humans, and weapons, money laundering, and cybercrime scams that have stolen billions of dollars from Americans. OPDAT spearheaded the drafting and adoption of guidelines for new plea agreement legislation, known in Nepal as sentence remission, and supports Nepal’s implementation of the guidelines to reduce prison overcrowding, case backlogs, and other inefficiencies that have been a barrier to focusing on transnational crime. Now, OPDAT leads coordination between the U.S. and Nepal investigations and prosecutions of high value targets who are members of organized crime syndicates. OPDAT’s assistance has led to seizures of significant assets and the arrests of multiple individuals targeting U.S. citizens.

Philippines: OPDAT strengthens U.S. national security in the Philippines by equipping law enforcement with the tools to thwart terrorist attacks and disrupt illicit finance networks. OPDAT assists the FBI-supported Anti-Terrorism Task Force in the Philippines, and this has led to convictions of U.S. specially designated terrorists and prevented terrorist acts before they reach U.S. shores. OPDAT also provides targeted assistance to the U.S.-supported Joint Terrorism Investigation Group to counter terrorism financing and related money laundering by transnational terrorist organizations. These efforts have led to the Philippines’ removal from the FATF grey list and served to prevent infiltration of terrorist monies into the U.S. financial system. In close coordination with the U.S. Marshals Service, OPDAT assists the Philippine Supreme Court with the establishment of the Judiciary Marshals Service, responsible for courthouse security and protection of judges. These measurable steps ensure the safety of American court users.   

Sri Lanka: OPDAT provides technical assistance to Sri Lankan authorities to investigate and prosecute drug trafficking, human trafficking, money laundering, and cybercrime scams aimed to harm Americans. OPDAT’s expertise increases Sri Lanka’s interception of drugs destined for the United States and advances mutual legal assistance and international cooperation on transnational crimes. In September 2024, OPDAT led the passage of amendments to Sri Lanka’s criminal procedure code to allow for plea agreements and negotiated sentences.

Southeast Asia Regional: OPDAT provides technical law enforcement support in Southeast Asia to dismantle organized crime groups engaged in transnational smuggling and trafficking of natural resources and related financial crimes. These encompass OPDAT assistance to government officials in Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam to disrupt criminal groups and cartels that exchange illicit natural resource goods for smuggled banned goods and fentanyl precursors across U.S. borders to infiltrate U.S. online marketplaces. OPDAT also protects U.S. supply chains of critical minerals from exploitation and works with governments to be compliant with the Convention on the Illegal Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna.

South Asia Regional: OPDAT provides technical assistance and promotes multilateral cooperation amongst South Asian countries and the United States to combat transnational crimes, including the trafficking of fentanyl, precursor chemicals, and narcotics, financial fraud, and money laundering. OPDAT leads regional working groups to cripple cartels utilizing the South Asia-South America route to fuel the drug epidemic in the United States, and to hinder acts of regional crime groups engaged in money laundering through U.S. financial systems.