NCJ Number
168970
Date Published
1996
Length
358 pages
Annotation
This expose' of international money laundering of drug money focuses on those making the "dirty" money, those "washing" it through legitimate businesses and financial institutions, and the law enforcement efforts to counter the money laundering.
Abstract
The author focuses on the laundering of drug money, since more money is spent today worldwide on illicit drugs than is spent on food. He notes that the "narco-economy" has made drug traffickers the most influential special-interest group in the world. The use of their money, however, requires that it be hidden in and used through legitimate businesses and financial institutions. The author estimates that between $200 billion and $500 billion, the bulk of it drug money, circles the globe each year looking for good "laundromats." The "how-to" anecdotes in this book suggest buying a real or fictitious offshore company. In less than 24 hours and for only $100, an off-the-shelf company that can control bank accounts anywhere in the world can be created. Casinos are good "laundromats" and so are brokerages. Banks are the ultimate "laundromat," however. The banking regulations in many nations are tailored to appeal to people and organizations that demand total secrecy for their deposits. European countries do little to curtail money laundering. For the most part, it is strictly up to the banks as to whether they report a deposit as "suspicious." Those few that are reported by the banks are rarely investigated. U.S. bank regulations are relatively strict, but only compared to other countries. Sanctions are typically mild for money launderers in the United States. The author advises that modern technology is about to render the fight against money laundering virtually useless. Rechargeable cash cards will allow criminals to bypass the banking system altogether and launder profits via the Internet. A 736-item bibliography and a subject index