Oklahoma Senate
Senate Passes Gumm Measure Targeting Drug Smugglers; Bill Could Be Law in Days
Senator Jay Paul Gumm
OKLAHOMA CITY – A measure by Senator Jay Paul Gumm that will allow law enforcement to track money used to finance criminal activity won the approval of the Oklahoma Senate Tuesday.
Gumm, a Democrat from Durant, said House Bill 2483, also known as the “Oklahoma Financial Transaction Reporting Act.” The bill is part of Gov. Brad Henry’s “Mission MethNet” and would cut off drug dealers’ cash pipeline used to smuggle “Mexican Ice” into the state.
“This bill will identify and prevent money laundering and other financial crimes connected to drug trafficking and even terrorist funding,” Gumm said. “By singling out those who assist some of the most dangerous criminals by cutting off their money, we are hitting them where it really hurts.”
The measure requires companies that offer wire money transfers to register with, and be licensed by, the state Banking Department. Under the bill, the Banking Department will share information with law enforcement agencies, including the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (OBNDD) and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI).
“We have all seen the devastation that comes with drug addiction,” said Gumm, who is chair of the Senate Finance Committee, the panel charged with oversight of the state’s banking laws. “We have to stay ahead of the criminals who would prey on families, and this bill allows law enforcement to do just that.”
The lawmaker noted the landmark “anti-meth” bill passed by the Legislature two years ago made it harder for Oklahomans to get their hands on ingredients used to make meth, greatly reducing the number of so-called “mom and pop” drug labs. HB 2483 expands on that by going after criminals who transfer money to drug cartels in Mexico to bring drugs across the border.
Mark Woodward, Director of the OBNDD, said many of the drug cartel associates here in Oklahoma launder drug money back to Mexico through money transfer centers that law enforcement officials in Oklahoma don’t even know exist.
“In Oklahoma, you are required to have a license to cut hair, but not to transfer drug money back and forth between here and Mexico,” Woodward said.
“This bill makes it possible for us to track money being transferred through these transfer centers that we know exist by creating a trail of money that will lead us to the very people that are putting dangerous drugs into the hands of our children.”
Gumm said bill is a crucial step in the right direction on Oklahoma’s war on drugs and other crimes, as well.
“Government has no greater responsibility than to ensure the safety and well-being of its citizens,” he Senator. “This bill is an important part of creating a safer Oklahoma for generations yet unborn.”
The bill now goes back to the House of Representatives for a final procedural vote before making its way to the governor for his signature.
