A Dangerous Alliance

Transnational Partnerships between Mexican Cartels and Chinese Money Laundering Networks

📅 June 26, 2025

Today, on United Nations International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, we spotlight a dangerous financial alliance accelerating the fentanyl crisis: transnational partnerships between Mexican cartels and Chinese money laundering networks.

The following visual highlights the financial dimensions of the illicit proceeds–bulk cash, cryptocurrencies, and trade-based schemes–putting billions into the hands of criminal organizations and driving violence and criminality globally.

Want to dig deeper?

Watch our recorded webinar on the emergence of Chinese money launderings networks (CMLNs) as a key enabler for laundering cartel proceeds and other criminal finances.

Chinese Money Laundering Networks (CMLNs) provide an efficient and low-cost laundering service with the objective of acquiring USD and other international currencies to supply demand from Chinese nationals seeking to avoid capital restrictions.

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