ABSTRACT
International organized crime and large-scale narcotics trafficking depend on the money laundering and banking services provided by the world of offshore banking and finance. The offshore financial world is made up of countries and political subdivisions that use their sovereign status to protect the wealth of foreign customers from the civil and criminal law of their own countries. These “haven” jurisdictions provide a home for banks, international business corporations, securities brokers, and insurance companies, which are used by the owners of all kinds of offshore assets. All of their transactions are, for the most part, shrouded under a blanket of secrecy.
