Investigative journalists in Canada have discovered a fentanyl money laundering / Chinese capital control evasion scheme. Government was caught completely flat footed, which isn’t a surprise.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/investigations/real-estate-money-laundering-and-drugs/article38004840/#index



Given the magnitude of the fentanyl problem in western countries, and the real estate bubble that’s been inflating (or re-inflating) in lock step with it, I wonder how pandemic this scheme is. Chinese immigrants are buying a LOT of high end real estate in Canada and Australia... but how are they getting their money out of China? Trading Chinese deposits for local drug cash answers that question.

So, Chinese criminals prey on other Chinese and drug-addicted Canadians to turn a buck. At the risk of sounding kind of offensive, that's not very surprising business from China.

This is probably not just limited to fentanyl. My understanding is that many precursor chemicals are manufactured and sent from China and SE Asia, that's how e.g. anabolic steroids get to America, the non-pharmaceutical ones. One shipping gamble can mean six-digit profits.

More dangerous/risky chemicals are sent to Mexico, for drugs like methamphetamine, and then poor Mexicans are used to mule the drugs over.

Not at all surprised. Also wouldn't be surprised if banks could easily figure this sort of behavior out, but don't because they don't want to lose clientele.

That would be an interesting study - try tracking asset bubbles and drug crises and see if there's a correlation.

Also, in case y'all feel like being depressed today:

tl;dw: some drunk NEET feebly cusses at his mom for having woken him up while hungover so that she could somewhat patiently criticize him for drinking and failing to clean up his drug addiction

3/10