Chinese money laundering criminals team up with Mexican cartels to menace US, officials warn Congress

Officials pinch nan Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Treasury Department warned members of Congress this week astir nan escalating threats from Chinese money laundering.

During a Tuesday proceeding connected Capitol Hill, U.S. senators heard repeated warnings astir money coming into nan United States from illicit intends connected to China and really that money is backing forbidden drugs, for illustration fentanyl, from Mexico.

"Criminals based successful nan People's Republic of China person emerged arsenic nan master money launderers of prime for Mexican supplier traffickers seeking to move their costs astir nan world," Kemp Chester, pinch nan Office of National Drug Control Policy, told lawmakers.

Authorities opportunity Chinese money laundering organizations person grown successful caller years, pinch offenders capable to lavation soiled money and cleanable it wrong minutes, acknowledgment to nan thief of caller technology. Tuesday, DEA and Treasury officials testified that nan opioid proviso concatenation is financed successful portion by money-laundering operations that originate successful China.

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The initials of nan supplier cartel "Jalisco Nueva Generacion" (CJNG) are seen successful graffiti connected a wall successful Lagos de Moreno, Mexico, connected Aug. 29, 2023. (Ulises Ruiz/AFP via Getty Images)

"The narration betwixt Chinese money laundering organizations and Mexican cartels provides access to well-established money laundering networks operating successful astir metropolitan areas successful nan United States," said William Kimbell, main of operations astatine nan DEA.

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The Department of Justice precocious announced a bust involving a Chinese money laundering compartment pinch astir $100 cardinal successful supplier proceeds for a Mexican supplier trafficking organization.

Mexican marines escort 5 alleged supplier traffickers of nan Zeta supplier cartel successful beforehand of seized weapons and narcotics connected June 9, 2011, successful Mexico City. (Yuri Cortez/AFP via Getty Images)

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In March, a expansive assemblage indicted Enhua Fang, a North Carolina female hiding successful Utah. Court documents declare Fang would person requests from Mexican drug-trafficking organizations for bulk rate pickups successful nan United States.

An forbidden supplier smuggler is processed wrong a jailhouse successful Nogales, Mexico, successful 2011. (Alpeyrie/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

"For each gram of fentanyl sold into America, there's a chemic proviso concatenation for each dollar of illicit fentanyl sold successful America. We must guarantee that soiled money cannot beryllium hidden successful our state aliases connected its measurement backmost into nan pockets of cartels, terrorists and different transnational criminals," Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said Tuesday.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was successful China successful March and raised nan rumor of money laundering with Chinese officials. Yellen and her squad person continued to participate successful moving groups successful nan United States to study much to combat nan problem.