Greed drives the criminal. Huge sums of money are generated through drug trafficking, arms smuggling, terrorism and white collar crime. The end result is that organized crime must move billions of illegally gained dollars into the nation's legitimate financial systems.
Money laundering involves disguising assets so they can be used without detection.
The success of organized crime is based upon its ability to launder money. The tools of the money launderer can range from complicated financial transactions, carried out through webs of wire transfers and networks of shell companies, to old-fashioned currency smuggling. And so, the tools of law enforcement to combat money laundering must be at least as sophisticated, if not more so. Wealth brings power. Money laundering, if left unchecked, can erode the integrity of our nation's and the world's financial institutions, with devastating economic and social consequences.