I 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6069 

To require the Comptroller General of the United States to carry out a 

study on how virtual currencies and online marketplaces are used to 

buy, sell, or facilitate the financing of goods or services associated with 

sex trafficking or drug trafficking, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 12, 2018 

Mr. VARGAS (for himself and Mr. ROTHFUS) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of 

such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To require the Comptroller General of the United States 

to carry out a study on how virtual currencies and online 

marketplaces are used to buy, sell, or facilitate the financing of goods or services associated with sex trafficking or drug trafficking, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fight Illicit Networks 

5 and Detect Trafficking Act’’ or the ‘‘FIND Trafficking 

6 Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 The Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) According to the Drug Enforcement Admin4 istration (DEA) 2017 National Drug Threat Assess5 ment, transnational criminal organizations are in6 creasingly using virtual currencies. 

7 (2) Although virtual currencies can be used for 

8 legal purchases, they have become a preferred finan9 cial payment method for criminals. 

10 (3) Virtual currencies have become a prominent 

11 method to pay for goods and services associated with 

12 illegal sex trafficking and drug trafficking, which are 

13 two of the most detrimental and troubling illegal ac14 tivities facilitated by online marketplaces. 

15 (4) Online marketplaces, including the darkweb, 

16 have become a prominent platform to buy, sell, and 

17 advertise for illicit goods and services associated 

18 with sex trafficking and drug trafficking. 

19 (5) According to the International Labour Or20 ganization, in 2016, 4.8 million people in the world 

21 were victims of forced sexual exploitation, and in 

22 2014, the global profit from commercial sexual ex23 ploitation was $99 billion. 

24 (6) In 2016, within the United States, the Cen25 ter for Disease Control estimated that there were 

26 64,000 deaths related to drug overdose, and the 


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1 most severe increase in drug overdoses were those 

2 associated with fentanyl and fentanyl analogs (syn3 thetic opioids), which amounted to over 20,000 over4 dose deaths. 

5 (7) According to the U.S. Department of the 

6 Treasury 2015 National Money Laundering Risk 

7 Assessment, an estimated $64 billion is generated 

8 annually from U.S. drug trafficking sales. 

9 (8) Illegal fentanyl in the United States origi10 nates primarily from China, and it is readily avail11 able to purchase through online marketplaces. 

12 SEC. 3. GAO STUDY. 

13 (a) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Comptroller General of 

14 the United States shall conduct a study on how virtual 

15 currencies and online marketplaces are used to facilitate 

16 sex and drug trafficking. The study shall consider— 

17 (1) how online marketplaces, including the 

18 darkweb, are being used as platforms to buy, sell, or 

19 facilitate the financing of goods or services associ20 ated with sex trafficking or drug trafficking (specifi21 cally, opioids and synthetic opioids, including fenta22 nyl, fentanyl analogs, and any precursor chemicals 

23 associated with manufacturing fentanyl or fentanyl 

24 analogs) destined for, originating from, or within the 

25 United States; 


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1 (2) how financial payment methods, including 

2 virtual currencies and peer-to-peer mobile payment 

3 services, are being utilized by online marketplaces to 

4 facilitate the buying, selling, or financing of goods 

5 and services associated with sex or drug trafficking 

6 destined for, originating from, or within the United 

7 States; 

8 (3) how virtual currencies are being used to fa9 cilitate the buying, selling, or financing of goods and 

10 services associated with sex or drug trafficking, des11 tined for, originating from, or within the United 

12 States, when an online platform is not otherwise in13 volved; 

14 (4) how illicit funds that have been transmitted 

15 online and through virtual currencies are repatriated 

16 into the formal banking system of the United States 

17 through money laundering or other means; 

18 (5) the participants (state and non-state actors) 

19 throughout the entire supply chain that participate 

20 in or benefit from the buying, selling, or financing 

21 of goods and services associated with sex or drug 

22 trafficking (either through online marketplaces or 

23 virtual currencies) destined for, originating from, or 

24 within the United States; and 


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1 (6) Federal and State agency efforts to impede 

2 the buying, selling, or financing of goods and serv3 ices associated with sex or drug trafficking destined 

4 for, originating from, or within the United States, 

5 including efforts to prevent the proceeds from sex or 

6 drug trafficking from entering the United States 

7 banking system. 

8 (b) SCOPE.—For the purposes of the study required 

9 under subsection (a), the term ‘‘sex trafficking’’ means the 

10 recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtain11 ing, patronizing, or soliciting of a person for the purpose 

12 of a commercial sex act that is induced by force, fraud, 

13 or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform 

14 such act has not attained 18 years of age. 

15 (c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 year 

16 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller 

17 General of the United States shall submit to the Com18 mittee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the 

19 Senate and the Committee on Financial Services of the 

20 House of Representatives a report summarizing the re21 sults of the study required under subsection (a), together 

22 with any recommendations for legislative or regulatory ac23 tion that would improve the efforts of Federal agencies 


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1 to impede the use of virtual currencies and online market2 places in facilitating sex and drug trafficking. 

Æ 


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