The US has been printing $100 bills by the truckload, but few people notice – or care – about the staggering sums of money being laundered through the lucrative fashion industry.
High-denomination banknotes are being produced in record numbers - more than ever before - at a time when so many citizens have abandoned cash for good. This growing wealth gap between law-abiding citizens and those engaged in illicit activities may seem to be a minor issue, but the real problem is money laundering.
Oliver Bullough's book "Everybody Loves Our Dollars" takes a deep dive into this murky world of international finance, uncovering shocking evidence of just how big the crime machine really is. From high-end fashion boutiques in the English countryside to the back alleys of Mexico's war-torn cities, Bullough exposes the intricate web of deceit that allows wealthy individuals and powerful cartels to launder their ill-gotten gains.
One place where Bullough found a wealth of evidence was at Bicester Village - an outlet shopping center that caters to the high-rolling clientele from Bahrain and Chongqing. Here, shoppers can snap up designer handbags, shoes, and other luxury goods, often paid for with cash. According to senior police officials, students from China studying in the UK use this method to pay for expensive items, which are then shipped back home or handed over to gangsters in exchange for a hefty payday.
However, what really caught Bullough's attention was the staggering amount of money being laundered through the US system. With the US Federal Reserve printing billions of $100 bills every day and keeping them circulating around the world, it earns tens of billions in profit - an enormous sum that has become too great for governments to ignore.
But this windfall comes at a steep price: bloodshed and violence on an epic scale. In Mexico alone, 500 people were murdered since 2006, many of whom were victims of cartel-related violence sparked by whistleblowers who revealed the organizations' secrets.
Bullough's investigation is a scathing indictment of our system, highlighting how wealth and power have become intertwined with corruption and crime.
High-denomination banknotes are being produced in record numbers - more than ever before - at a time when so many citizens have abandoned cash for good. This growing wealth gap between law-abiding citizens and those engaged in illicit activities may seem to be a minor issue, but the real problem is money laundering.
Oliver Bullough's book "Everybody Loves Our Dollars" takes a deep dive into this murky world of international finance, uncovering shocking evidence of just how big the crime machine really is. From high-end fashion boutiques in the English countryside to the back alleys of Mexico's war-torn cities, Bullough exposes the intricate web of deceit that allows wealthy individuals and powerful cartels to launder their ill-gotten gains.
One place where Bullough found a wealth of evidence was at Bicester Village - an outlet shopping center that caters to the high-rolling clientele from Bahrain and Chongqing. Here, shoppers can snap up designer handbags, shoes, and other luxury goods, often paid for with cash. According to senior police officials, students from China studying in the UK use this method to pay for expensive items, which are then shipped back home or handed over to gangsters in exchange for a hefty payday.
However, what really caught Bullough's attention was the staggering amount of money being laundered through the US system. With the US Federal Reserve printing billions of $100 bills every day and keeping them circulating around the world, it earns tens of billions in profit - an enormous sum that has become too great for governments to ignore.
But this windfall comes at a steep price: bloodshed and violence on an epic scale. In Mexico alone, 500 people were murdered since 2006, many of whom were victims of cartel-related violence sparked by whistleblowers who revealed the organizations' secrets.
Bullough's investigation is a scathing indictment of our system, highlighting how wealth and power have become intertwined with corruption and crime.
. But nope, it seems like our love for cash is still a major player in the underworld.
. And to make matters worse, it's not just your average joe involved in this shady business – we're talking high-end fashion boutiques and cartel members 
. The more I read about this stuff, the more I'm convinced that our system is seriously broken.
. 500 murders in Mexico since 2006? That's just heartbreaking 
. We need to do better, folks!
I mean, come on... the US is basically printing money like it's going out of style 
except for Oliver Bullough who just exposed this wild scheme in his book "Everybody Loves Our Dollars". It's like the system is so corrupt that wealthy individuals can just launder their ill-gotten gains through the fashion industry and get away with it 
No thanks. This whole thing just reeks of corruption 
.
.
. And the fact that US is making so much money from it... I don't even wanna think about how that looks on a global scale 
. Not just sit back and let it happen 
.
. That's the first step to change, right?
. And at the end of it all, governments just get a sweet profit 
. It's time for some serious systemic change to make sure this kind of corruption doesn't happen again 
And it's crazy that some people are making bank off this dirty laundry 
. Like, the numbers are just insane - tens of billions in profit for the US system... and it's all just getting washed away by crime 
. like, who really uses that much cash? I'm good with my debit card tbh lol... but for real though, the fact that some people are making bank off of cartels and gangsters is wild 
bicester village is like a secret world of luxury and corruption 
.
imagine all that cash just floating around 
... but at the same time, Oliver Bullough's book sounds super insightful, I need to check that out ASAP! 
. And that they're being used to fund cartel violence in Mexico? No way 
. Oliver Bullough's book sounds like a must-read - I need to dive into that ASAP 
. It's crazy how some people can get away with washing their dirty money through designer goods and luxury shopping centers 
.
. Meanwhile, we've got cartels and gangsters running amok, causing bloodshed and chaos on an epic scale... it's just not right.