Global Courant
The Mexican cartels, in their eagerness to launder the money generated by their illegal activities, would have found an easier way to do so through the Chinese mafia.
Since 2018, various criminal organizations in Mexico have chosen to launder hundreds of millions of dollars in drug proceeds with Chinese launderers, who were described as “punctual, methodical, disciplined and honest.”
In addition, these Asian criminals would be charging rates that fluctuate between 1 and 2 percent of the total money being laundered, a much lower rate than the 10 percent that other groups charge for this illicit business.
This information came to light through Christopher Urben, former head of Special Operations for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in a report published in April 2023.
“We received reports from the ground that drug cartels were using Chinese organized crime networks to launder their cash. This was a drastic change in business operations,” he assured.
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This report also revealed that the Chinese mafia is laundering money from Mexican cartels through casinos, chemical companies, and seafood exporters, among other businesses.
What method does the Chinese mafia use to launder money?
To launder money from drug cartels, the Chinese mafia uses people who day after day collect profits from the sale of narcotics in Mexico and the United States.
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These brokers then sell the dollars raised to Chinese clients who need money immediately to buy real estate, gamble or make investments.
Finally, these clients pay the debt in Chino with the cash they received from the brokers and that money is used to buy goods in the country that are later exported to Mexico, where they are sold again.
