Therefore, an illicit investment of $30,000 or less 
could result in a return of $6 to $32.5 million.’’. 
(4) According to Celina B. Realuyo, Adjunct 
Professor, The George Washington University Elliott 
School of International Affairs, in March 2022 Con-
gressional testimony, ‘‘Financing is essential to sup-
port and sustain the command and control, per-
sonnel, arms, communications, logistics and oper-
ations of organized crime groups. For this reason, 
following the money trail and depriving criminals of 
illicit financial flows can disrupt and disable these 
networks.’’. 
SEC. 3. GAO STUDY ON SYNTHETIC DRUGS TRAFFICKING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General of the 
United States shall carry out a study on illicit financing 
in connection with the trafficking of synthetic drugs, in-
cluding fentanyl and methamphetamine, fentanyl- and 
methamphetamine-related substances, Captagon, and 
fentanyl and methamphetamine precursors, including— 
(1) the business of the trafficking of synthetic 
drugs and related illicit finance, such as the partici-
pation of transnational criminal organizations and 
terror syndicates and their notable trafficking cor-
ridors, including source and transit countries; 
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(2) 
the 
business 
models 
used 
by 
these 
transnational criminal organizations, including U.S. 
domestic and foreign activities for precursor pur-
chase or production, movement along the supply 
chain, manufacture of the completed product, mar-
keting, distribution, sales, and return of proceeds; 
(3) the overlap of the business model of human 
trafficking and the trafficking of synthetic drugs 
and related illicit finance; 
(4) the use of online illicit drug markets and 
the use of social media for the marketing, sale, and 
payment for synthetic drugs; 
(5) 
financial 
methods 
used 
by 
such 
transnational criminal organizations, including— 
(A) payment; 
(B) money laundering; and 
(C) repatriation of proceeds; 
(6) the use of social media applications like 
Snap Chat, Discord, and Facebook and payment ap-
plications like CashApp to facilitate financial trans-
actions for synthetic drug trafficking, especially 
among young people; and 
(7) U.S. Government activities to combat illicit 
finance related to the trafficking of synthetic drugs, 
including— 
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(A) interagency collaboration, including 
personnel detailed to other agencies to support 
the effort to combat synthetic drugs trafficking 
and related illicit finance; 
(B) intergovernmental collaboration; 
(C) intersectoral collaboration with the pri-
vate sector, including the business and non-gov-
ernmental communities; and 
(D) identified gaps or resource deficiencies 
in combating the trafficking of synthetic drugs 
and related illicit finance in the coordination 
and collaboration activities described in sub-
paragraphs (A) through (C). 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than the end of the 1-year 
period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Comptroller General shall issue a report to the Congress 
containing all findings and determinations made in car-
rying out the study required under subsection (a). 
Æ 
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