The Drug Enforcement Administration was forced this week to defend its practice of laundering millions of dollars in drug profits in order to learn how Mexican cartels move their funds. Undercover agents regularly transported illegal cash across borders, reported The New York Times, and deposited it into drug traffickers’ bank accounts.
The DEA said its fight against money laundering has “led to important advances and detentions.” But Rep. Darrell Issa (R.-Calif.) compared the operation to the DEA’s failed Fast and Furious gun-running scheme, and asked Attorney General Eric Holder to explain it before a House committee.
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