Investigators Raise Tally to $140 Million in Fashion District Cartel Money-Laundering Scheme
After 1,000 federal and state agents fanned out across the Los Angeles Fashion District last fall to crack down on a long-running money-laundering scheme benefiting two drug cartels in Mexico, the total amount of cash and property seized has inched up to $140 million.
Most of that—$90 million—was in cash, but another $37.5 million was found in bank accounts in the United States and as far away as Hong Kong. Property and merchandise seizures rounded up the count to nearly $140 million, said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office in Los Angeles, which is prosecuting a number of the money-laundering cases in U.S. District Court.
Raids on Sept. 10 on 75 fashion and textile businesses unveiled the culmination of a drawn-out federal investigation into people dropping off bags of cash to Los Angeles clothing and textile companies who then took the money, paid for garments and shipped them to Mexico, where they were sold in stores for pesos. Those pesos eventually made their way to the Sinaloa and Knights Templar drug cartels, which were selling drugs in the United States but had a hard time getting their dollars discretely out of the United States and back into Mexico. This system of converting dollars into pesos is called trade-based money laundering.
Initially, the raid was believed to have netted $70 million in cash, which included $35 million found in boxes in a condo on the south edge of downtown Los Angeles and $10 million in cash stuffed in duffel bags discovered at a Bel-Air mansion.
While 10 people have been indicted for money laundering, Mrozek said there are more investigations into businesses suspected of money laundering in the Fashion District. “There may be future arrests, and there are ongoing investigations into businesses down there,” Mrozek said.
Feds: L.A. 'the epicenter' of cartel money laundering - CNN.com
you must not have ever visited a dispensary in the valley.