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MEXICO CITY (AP) \u2014 Drug cartels in Mexico are increasingly turning to the internet, bitcoin and e-commerce to launder money and sell drugs, according to a report released Thursday by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.<\/p>\n
The report of the International Narcotics Control Board said Thursday the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel are increasingly using small, online purchases of bitcoin to avoid money-laundering controls.<\/p>\n
The report said Mexican cartels are believed to launder about $25 billion a year in Mexico.<\/p>\n
After splitting drug proceeds into small payments to avoid controls, the cartels \u201cthen use those accounts to buy a series of small amounts of bitcoin online, obscuring the origin of the money and allowing them to pay associates elsewhere in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
The report said \u201cboth Mexican and Colombian organized criminal groups are increasing their use of virtual currency because of the anonymity and speed of transactions.\u201d<\/p>\n
The report also said \u201conline vendors … have a significant impact\u201d in selling drugs. Web sites often advertise fentanyl-laced pills as Xanax, Adderall or Oxycodone, and Ra\u00fal Martin del Campo, a member of the Control Board, said \u201cthe majority of people do not know they are using fentanyl.\u201d<\/p>\n
Del Campo also said drug cartels are also reviving old recipes for synthetic narcotics that had fallen into disuse because of their side effects.<\/p>\n
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