The Triple Frontier is the tri-border area along the junction of Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil and is the location of the Iguaçu Waterfalls. The Triple Frontier serves as a haven for car theft, counterfeiting, arms and drug trafficking, smuggling, money laundering, and other illicit activities.

In 2002 the United States Treasury Department mentioned in a memo that there are "clear examples" of Islamic groups in the region that "finance terrorist activities". Groups like Egypt's al-Gama'at al-Islamiyya , Islamic Jihad, Hizballah, and Al Qaeda are believed to draw some of their funding from activities in the Triple Frontier.