Cablegate: Terrorist Finance: Dutch On Illicit Cash Couriers

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PP RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV
DE RUEHTC #0345 0541550
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 231550Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8298
INFO RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI PRIORITY
RUEHAT/AMCONSUL AMSTERDAM PRIORITY 2328
RUEHFT/AMCONSUL FRANKFURT PRIORITY 3647
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY 0442
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/FBI WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 000345

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR EB/ESC/TFS (KLEAHY), EB/ESC/TFS (LCANON)
STATE ALSO FOR S/CT (PHILL), S/CT FINANCE (GALER, NOVIS)
STATE ALSO FOR EUR/UBI (RREITER), EUR/PGI, EUR/ERA (PWALKER)
TREASURY FOR TFFC AND OFAC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EFIN ETTC KTFN LE PREL PTER KCRM NL
SUBJECT: TERRORIST FINANCE: DUTCH ON ILLICIT CASH COURIERS

REF: STATE 16120

C O R R E C T E D COPY (ADDING EU MEMBER STATES)

THIS MESSAGE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. PLEASE HANDLE
ACCORDINGLY.

1. (SBU) The Dutch Ministry of Finance (MOF) is hopeful that
a soon to be implemented EU regulation will help detect and
prosecute bulk cash smugglers. In a February 22 conversation,
MOF official Paul ten Westeneind, Policy Officer, Integrity
Division, told Econoff that the environment for combating
bulk cash smuggling in the Netherlands is improving. This, he
said, is due primarily to a new regulation -- to be effective
in a couple months -- implementing EU Regulation 1889/2005 on
controls of cash entering or leaving the European Community.
Under this regulation, all travelers exiting the EU must
report cash in excess of 10,0000 euros or face criminal
charges. Previously, travelers found with bulk cash by the
Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (KMAR, a military police force
responsible for border control) had to provide good
justification or be suspected of money laundering, ten
Westeneind said, but there was no reporting requirement or
criminal penalties. 1889/2005 therefore addressed a "gap"
that cash couriers were exploiting. He predicted that
implementation of the regulation would generate increased
awareness of the issue within the government and amongst the
public.

2. (SBU) Ten Westeneind noted that enforcement could be the
primary weakness of the new regulation. With only a minority
of travelers being checked, or "sniffed," it would be
impossible to catch everything, he said. For example, the
regulation did not address illegal cash mailings through the
post.

3. (SBU) Regarding transatlantic information sharing, ten
Westeneind said the Dutch Financial Intelligence Unit works
regularly with the USG, and that there were frameworks in
place to govern information exchanges.
BLAKEMAN

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